The Italians impressed in September matches League of Nationsconfidently defeating France on its soil. Belgium tried to recover after the last defeat against the Tricolors and improve the atmosphere after the scandal with Kevin De Bruyne, who threatened to end his national team career.
The Italians could have won the match already in the first half
Although both teams were focused on playing offensively and openly footballthis one was definitely better for the Italians, who took the lead already in the first minute. Federico Dimarco drove a quick action on the left side, crossed the penalty area to Andrea Cambiaso, who was running in, and he quickly beat the Belgian goalkeeper.
It was difficult for the Belgians to get anything specific at the front, although the attacking potential was really great. However, every Italian attack was tantamount to a huge threat. The hosts increased their lead in the 24th minute by Mateo Retegui. Dimarco showed off again in this action. His brilliant cross opened the right flank and gave the opportunity to accelerate the action. Cambiaso was rushing there, cut inside and shot on the ground, but his shot was saved by Koen Casteels. However, the goalkeeper could not do anything about Retegui's rebound.
The Italians controlled the game and had several opportunities to increase their lead, but they could not convert any of them into another goal. However, they thwarted their plans at the end of the first half. Lorenzo Pellegrini was shown a red card for a sharp tackle, and Maxim De Cuyper converted a clever free kick into a contact goal. The Belgians could have equalized the score at half-time, but Italy put the bus in their own box in the penalty area.
In the second half, the hosts wanted to shift into a higher gear for the first few or a dozen minutes. A third goal would have given them more comfort, but neither Retegui nor Davide Frattesi found the net.
Before the 60th minute, the Italians decided to withdraw and focus on defense. They gave the ball to the Belgians, who did not create much of a threat from the field. The guests equalized after another set piece in the 61st minute. The ball played from a corner kick fell on Wout Faes' head. He passed the ball closer to the goal, and Leandro Trossard scored, completely surprising Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Although both teams did not have any great chances until the end of the match, the last half hour could have been enjoyable, just like the earlier parts of the match. The Italians tried to boldly counterattack, and Belgium looked for different attacking solutions.
In the last minutes of the match, the Italians demanded a penalty kick, claiming that one of the Belgian defenders blocked a shot from several meters with his hand, but the referee did not point to the 11-meter mark. Consulting the VAR team only confirmed that he made the right decision.
The final match ended in a 2-2 draw, which meant that the group stage was halfway through Europa League The Italians maintained the lead in Group 2 of Division A of the Nations League.