Italy return from Sofia with another victory in the bag and Roberto Mancini confirms his status as the national team coach with the most points won after the first 29 matches in the dugout. After the opening day success against Northern Ireland, the Azzurri repeated the same scoreline in beating Bulgaria (2-0), a first victory on Bulgarian soil and the 24th consecutive match without defeat that allows Italy to stay in command of their group for Qatar 2022 World Cup qualification, in the company of Switzerland.

"Easy games don’t exist - the Italian Coach remarked - especially when you face teams like Bulgaria, who play with everyone behind the ball. Until you score the first goal and unlock the game, it is difficult. In this, we managed to do well, and we did well in looking for a third goal too. The players are a bit tired, we almost never took risks, if not for our own mistakes, but after having created several opportunities.” No thrashing occurred this time, but it is not easy to find spaces with an opponent who is good at closing you down: "I don’t think that the other teams will win seven or eight to nil - underlined Mancini - clearly we know that goal difference is important, but we hope to beat Switzerland.”

On Thursday in Parma, Ciro Immobile broke a long goal drought, scoring his 11th goal with the national team, but Andrea Belotti joined him in first place in the ranking of active Azzurri bombers, earning and converting the penalty that allowed Italy to take the lead at the end of the first half. In the absence of the specialist Jorginho, the Rooster showed the same coolness from the spot: “I was the one designated to take the penalty - he explained - Insigne immediately gave me the ball and I made my decision. It was important to score to unlock a difficult game. I dedicate the goal to my daughter, who is the greatest joy in my life.” In the second half, the post denied him his brace: "I saw it inside - says the Torino forward - the ball had a strange effect and I tried to kick it hard on the rebound, but it went high. We are a great group, it’s normal that there are expectations, we are strong and express good football. I believe we are a source of pride for all Italians.” It was an unforgettable evening for Manuel Locatelli, who entered the field near the end and scored the second goal, his first in the Azzurri jersey: “I still have the chills, it's an indescribable emotion. For a midfielder, scoring is important, it’s nice to be praised, but in football it's easy to go from compliments to criticisms: we have to find balance within ourselves.”

Francesco Acerbi was once again ready, filling in brilliantly in Giorgio Chiellini’s absence: “It was a very physical match, we knew this going into it. They fought bravely until the end; we played a good game. We could have done better, but after having unlocked the game and after having made it 2-0 the match is over”. At this point of the season, it is normal for a bit of tiredness to emerge, but on Wednesday in Vilnius, one last push is needed: "You must always have fuel in the tank when you play with Italy, we have to finish well in our third game. Now we rest and then we will be ready for Lithuania”.