Italy is in the semi-finals of the European Football Championship. The team of coach Roberto Mancini won in the quarterfinals in Munich 2:1 (2:1) against fellow favorites Belgium. Nicolò Barella (31. Minute) and Lorenzo Insigne (44.) met for Italy, Romelu Lukaku succeeded with a penalty only the connection (45. + 2).
While Belgium coach Roberto Martínez had to do without Eden Hazard because of a muscle injury, Kevin De Bruyne was able to play from the start despite suffering an ankle injury in the round of 16. In Italy, captain Giorgio Chiellini returned to the starting line-up. He contributed to the fact that his team initially seemed defensively stable and Belgium did not come dangerously into the penalty area.
The game swung back and forth at the beginning, great scoring chances were missing – until Leonardo Bonucci scored the supposed Italian lead after a free kick. The Slovenian referee Slavko Vinčić did not count the goal after a hint from the video assistant because of an offside position (13.).
Belgium got better, pushed Italy back to the penalty area more and more often. De Bruyne (22.) and Romelu Lukaku (26.) had chances to lead with dangerous shots, but goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma parried both times brilliantly (22.).
Three goals in a quarter of an hour
Italy sought more possession and controlled attacks to break the Belgian’s urge. This succeeded, the offense played more often in the sixteen-and then scored the lead: After a free kick, the Belgian defense came to the ball, but Marco Verratti immediately put pressure and won the ball back. He matched Barella in the penalty area and he shot the 1:0 (31.). With the lead, Italy remained playfully superior. Insigne dribbled towards the penalty area shortly before the break and scored with a shot from 20 meters to 2:0 (44.).
But it did not stop there, because referee Vinčić pointed to the point before the break, because Giovanni Di Lorenzo had pushed away the 19 – year-old Jérémy Doku-a hard decision. Lukaku hit the post (45.+2).
After half-time, Italy often left the ball to Belgium. The fast documentary repeatedly caused danger over the left wing and thus almost initiated the equalizer. Doku matched De Bruyne in the penalty area, who passed the ball to the far post. Lukaku shot from two meters but defender Leonardo Spinazzola on (61.). A little later, substitute Nacer Chadli lifted the ball into the five-metre area and Lukaku missed the header sharply (71.).
Shortly afterwards, the Italian team suffered a severe setback. Spinazzola, one of the most striking players at this European Championship, was injured without any action on the part of the opponents and had to be taken off the pitch on a stretcher (79.). How serious his injury is was unclear at first.
In the final phase, Italy only defended the lead. Belgium started again and again to shoot the equalizer, but it remained in the 2:1 victory of Italy.
