180 minutes to experiment, and a little less than three months to decide who to take to Germany. The two US friendlies have given Luciano Spalletti several ideas to reflect on and some comforting news, from the goals of Mateo Retegui to the great debut of Bellanova, to the good performances from those who have played a little for the Azzurri, like Pellegrini and Zaniolo. But for the Head Coach, who registered his fourth win in 8 games tonight against Ecuador, what counts is seeing a group that is united in the face of difficulty: “We were always a team, even in the second half. This is fundamental. There was a good performance in the second half too, but we needed to be a bit cleaner. In the first half we played higher up and we could have scored again, but we also carried ourselves well when we were off the ball”.

The week in the USA has ended in the best way possible, with another win after the 2-1 in the friendly against Ecuador: “My assessment is positive. It has been an ideal trip: for the lads’ seriousness, for the perfect organisation of the Federation, which faced many difficulties, and for the individual performances of the players. The opportunities aren’t too frequent, but games like this help us to pull out positives”.

After losing out on the Euro 2020 trophy run by picking up an injury in the final training session ahead of the tournament, Lorenzo Pellegrini will want to star in the next European campaign. The Giallorossi captain, with strikers numbers since the arrival of De Rossi, reaffirmed his run of good form by opening the scoring right away, his sixth goal for the Azzurri: “These games allow us to continue on our journey. We need to keep being united like a family ahead of the Euros. I expect a lot from myself, but also from my teammates. We are really a good group, on and off the pitch. We will keep working to be satisfied”. The week in the USA is bid farewell by millions of Italians living in the States who have been able to see the Azzurri on US soil again after 19 years: “We received an amazing welcome, it was like playing at home, we are happy. These were two class friendlies, even if they were different from one another. In one, Gigio saved a penalty right at the start, today we opened the scoring after three minutes”.

With his ninth goal for Italy, his first under Spalletti, Nicolò Barella has equalled three legends of Italian football in the ranking of all-time top scorers: Boninsegna, Cabrini and Francesco Totti. And he celebrated in the best way possible by wearing the captain's armband. The Inter midfielder admitted: “We suffered too much in the second half for our skill level, but in the end, we got something else with the energy that was left. The set-up is a new thing for us. We are testing the waters, there is always something to improve. We are creating a good group, composed of lads who want to help each other out”.

Raoul Bellanova’s Italy debut only lasted 45 minutes, leaving at the break with a slight knock to his groin. But the first half was enough for the Torino defender, the 79th Granata player to wear the Azzurri shirt in history, to show why he’s doing so well in the league. One, two, three, four runs down the wing, showing once again how to shift up a gear: “I am happy about my debut and my performance. We played a great game, the victory was deserved. When you wear the Azzurri shirt, you’re representing an entire country, true friendlies don’t exist. We play to win. The Italians here today gave us a lot of support, we went out there for them”. The call-up for the Euros is now his concrete aim: “I will always try to do my best with Torino to earn my spot”.

The second debut of the day was for Gugliemo Vicario, finishing his first Azzurri game with a clean sheet: “I have reached a milestone that I have always wanted, I am happy to do it with this group. It was a great day”. After being a spectator in the first half, he was called into action several times after the break, his biggest save coming on a shot from Plata: “There are different phases in a game, you need to be there also in difficult moments. We were good at understanding when to close down. You need to know how to behave in every situation. I aim to improve day after day. I always expect the best from myself”.