Nations League: 'It was all perfect until the final 20 minutes' - Mancini on Italy's win over Hungary
Italy scripted a comfortable 2-0 win over Hungary in the UEFA Nations League on Monday. However, Italian boss Roberto Mancini was not entirely impressed with the victory and was unhappy about how things transpired in the last 20 minutes.
FollowReigning European champion Italy is still reeling from failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar in November. However, it is determined to make things count in the ongoing UEFA Nations League. On Monday, it triumphed over Hungary 2-0 at the Puskás Aréna Park in Budapest, with Giacomo Raspadori scoring the opening goal in the 27th, followed by the winner from Federico Dimarco in the 52nd after an assist from Bryan Cristante. Although the Azzurri has moved to the final stages of the competition by topping its group, head coach Roberto Mancini is not entirely impressed with its success against the Magyars.
Talking to RAI Sport, Mancini gauged, "It was a difficult game. It was all perfect until the final 20 minutes. We need to improve our ability to control the game for 90 minutes, as we worked so hard to be 2-0 up, so suffering like that in the final 20 minutes makes no sense."
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"We should have kept pushing for a third goal. I lost my voice because I was shouting so much in the final 20 minutes," added Mancini. On the other hand, Italian legend Marco Rossi was all-praise for Hungarian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, while he strongly suggested that he considers him the world's best goalkeeper.
"It would have been nice to perform a miracle tonight, but when you play against teams like Italy, you have to make zero mistakes and hope the other side gets it wrong. Even when we did have the chances, we were kept out by the best goalkeeper in the world. It's no coincidence that PSG signed Donnarumma," Rossi concluded.
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Rossi concluded by speaking about Hungary's incredible supporters, saying, "I've been in football for many years. I've seen packed stadiums and fans on their feet, but never like the passion you can feel when Hungary plays on home turf."
