Overview
- Friday’s 2-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico was decided by Godts’s 20th-minute strike and Lukebakio’s 69th-minute counter, with Italy booed by its home crowd.
- Roberto Mancini acknowledged the boos and defended the team’s second-half showing while admitting the first half was below expectations and promising work to fix the errors.
- Coaching staff have already signalled changes for the next Nations League match in Bursa, with Alessandro Bastoni set to return from suspension and Michael Kayode a leading candidate to replace Giovanni Di Lorenzo at right back.
- The match highlighted shortcomings in defence, ball control and frontline cohesion after Mancini named a 34-player, youth‑heavy squad intended for wide experimentation.
- Separately, Scott McTominay has resumed monitored individual training after a successful cardiac ablation and was not selected by Scotland for the Nations League while he recovers.