Overview
- Italy lost 0-2 to Belgium at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico on Friday, with Mika Godts scoring around the 21st minute and Dodi Lukebakio adding a 69th-minute goal.
- About 47,155 fans were in the stadium and loud boos greeted the team after the game, and a post-match on-field exchange between Romelu Lukaku and captain Gianluigi Donnarumma drew yellow cards for both players.
- Roberto Mancini said the first half was below expectations and praised signs of improvement in the second half, while also accepting that the crowd’s boos were to be expected after a defeat.
- The match was part of Mancini’s plan to test a large, youth-leaning 34-player pool that was cut to 23 for the game and features several foreign-based or newly eligible players who will be evaluated in this Nations League window.
- Commentators called the loss a stark reminder of a deeper crisis in Italian football and the team now faces quick follow-ups on the road against Turkey and in Paris against France, where results and clearer patterns of play will shape the rebuild.