The disappointment of conceding a comeback was balanced by the satisfaction of showing character for 50 minutes with a man down. Italy played a great first half, immediately taking the lead against Belgium with Cambiaso's first goal for the national team, and doubling their advantage before the half-hour mark thanks to Retegui's trademark finish.

It seemed like a ‘Notte Magica’ reminiscent of Totò Schillaci, honoured by the 45,000 at the Stadio Olimpico, but just minutes before the end of the first half, Pellegrini kicked Theate from behind. After a VAR review, his yellow card was upgraded to red, and the Azzurri were suddenly down to ten men. Either side of half-time, De Cuyper and Trossard brought Belgium level. Italy was on the ropes but held on, defending a draw that allowed them to remain top of the group, one point ahead of France and three ahead of the Red Devils. Qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals is still up for grabs, but on Monday in Udine against Israel, the Azzurri will have another chance to extend their lead.

“There are moments that change the course of a match", commented Luciano Spalletti, "and we conceded a goal right after that situation. Sometimes, matches are defined by incidents rather than the football being played. We had the chance to play well even in the second half, but in the open spaces, they are top-level players. We didn’t allow too many chances, and they were also a bit lucky. You could see the team playing good football and showing personality, just like in the previous two games".

THE MATCH. Italy started with the same eleven that had triumphed at the Parc des Princes a month earlier, with Lorenzo Pellegrini supporting Retegui up front in a 3-5-1-1 formation that shifted to a 5-4-1 when out of possession. Despite being without Lukaku and De Bruyne, Belgium was still brimming with talent. Tedesco fielded Atalanta’s De Ketelaere from the start, flanked by Doku and Trossard behind striker Openda.

The match began, and Italy was already ahead. Tonali launched Dimarco down the flank, who played a one-two with Pellegrini before delivering a low, hard cross to the far post, where Cambiaso, on his second attempt, found the net, scoring his first goal for the national team. Only sixty-three seconds had passed to break down Belgium's resistance. After shocking starts against Albania in the European Championship and in their Nations League debut against France, it was now the turn of our opponents to chase the game. Italy held their ground well, with Calafiori frequently pushing into midfield, while Dimarco and Cambiaso exploited the wings to find open spaces. A combination between the two wingers led to the second goal in the 24th minute: Dimarco executed a volleyed switch for Cambiaso, who cut inside and shot from the edge of the area, finding a deflection off Casteels. Retegui pounced on the rebound to make it 2-0. Everything seemed too easy. However, in the 39th minute, Pellegrini fouled Theate from behind. The Norwegian referee Eskas showed a yellow card but was called to the monitor and changed it to red. Italy was now down to ten men. Less than a minute later, De Cuyper pulled one back with a beautiful curling left-foot shot from the edge of the area.

In the second half, the script of the match inevitably changed. Belgium pressed forward, with Doku shifting to the left, and Italy sat back to defend their lead. The Azzurri still came close to scoring a third goal, with Frattesi controlling a long pass from Bastoni but shooting over the bar. However, the equaliser arrived on 61 minutes. Following a corner, Faes executed a towering header, and from close range, Trossard volleyed the ball into the net to make it 2-2. Bastoni risked conceding a penalty for a foul on Openda, and moments later, the Leipzig forward shot wide from close range.

Tedesco savoured the prospect of taking the lead and introduced fresh legs, bringing on Vranckx, Castagne, and Lukebakio to replace Theate, Mangala, and De Ketelaere. Spalletti responded by substituting one of the best performers, Dimarco, for Udogie, and brought on Fagioli for Ricci. The match turned into one-way traffic, but Italy attempted to withstand the pressure while also trying a few timid offensive forays. Raspadori and Pisilli entered the fray, with the Roma player making his debut in front of the ovation from the 45,000 fans in attendance. In the 90th minute, Bellanova replaced Frattesi, who had earlier appealed for a penalty due to Faes's outstretched arm. The match ended 2-2, and on Monday in Udine against Israel, Italy needed the three points to ease their path towards qualification.

ITALY 2-2 BELGIUM (2-1 HT)

ITALY (3-5-1-1): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori; Cambiaso, Frattesi (90' Bellanova), Ricci (70' Fagioli), Tonali (80' st Pisilli), Dimarco (70' Udogie); Pellegrini, Retegui (80' Raspadori). Unused subs: Di Gregorio, Vicario, Buongiorno, Maldini, Gabbia, Okoli, Lucca. Coach: Spalletti.
BELGIUM (4-2-3-1): Casteels; Debast, Faes,Theate (67' Vranchz), De Cuyper; Tielemans, Mangala (67' Castagne); Trossard, Doku, (88' Fofana), De Ketelaere (67' Lukebakio); Openda (88' Ngonge). Unused subs: Vandeevordt, De Wolf, Bornauw, De Winter, Bakayoko, Engels, Smets. Coach: Tedesco.

Goalscorers: 1’ Cambiaso (I), 24’ Retegui (I), 41’pt De Cuyper (B), 61’ Trossard (B),

Referee: Eskas (Norway). Assistants: Engan e Bashevkin (Norway). Fourth official: Usman Aslam (Norway). VAR: Dieperink (Netherlands)

NB: Attendance 44.297. Red card: Pellegrini (I). Bookings: Trossard (B), Donnarumma (I), Pisilli (I).

RESULTS AND STANDINGS OF GROUP 2 IN LEAGUE A OF THE NATIONS LEAGUE

First Matchday (6 September)
Belgium 3-1 Israel
France 1-3 Italy

Second Matchday (9 September)
Israel 1-2 Italy 
France 2-0 Belgium 

Third Matchday (10 October)
Italy 2-2 Belgium 
Israel 1-4 France 

Standings: Italy 7 points, France 6, Belgium 4, Israel 0

The top two teams will qualify for the quarter-finals. The third-placed team will play a relegation playoff against one of the runners-up from League B, while the fourth-placed team in the group will be relegated to League B.

ITALY'S UPCOMING MATCHES
14 October 2024: Italy vs. Israel (20:45 CEST – Stadio Friuli, Udine)
14 November 2024: Belgium vs. Italy (20:45 CEST– King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels)
17 November 2024: Italy vs.  France (20:45 CEST– Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan)