Di Lorenzo urges calm as Belgium claim decisive win
Belgium sealed a 2-0 victory over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico on 25 September 2026 when Dodi Lukebakio struck the second goal, confirming the home side's Nations League defeat.
Mika Godts opened the scoring before Lukebakio added the decisive blow, exploiting errors that Italy made in the second half. The visitors, debuting under new coach Mark van Bommel, appeared to adapt to his ideas more quickly than the Azzurri.
Second era under Mancini
The Azzurri began their second era under Roberto Mancini, who guided Italy to the European Championship in 2021 – the last positive experience for fans. That triumph was quickly followed by a series of nightmares, including the failure to reach the World Cup three times in a row. The current Nations League campaign therefore started disastrously with the 2-0 home loss.
Di Lorenzo urges calm
Captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo insisted that fans and media need patience, saying, “If we start tearing the Nazionale apart again already, it’s not helpful.” He told RAI Sport, “It is certainly not pleasing to leave the field to jeers, but we have to accept them.” He added that the team “tried to do its best, it’s a shame because we wanted to start the group well and we know that we’ve got to improve.”
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Di Lorenzo praised Belgium’s “excellent individuals” and noted they “made the most of every error we made”. He lamented that after conceding the second goal Italy “had been doing better and had the chances to equalise”. He reminded that this was “the first of four games in two weeks” and that Italy “made some mistakes, but will do better from now on”.
Reflecting on the performance, Di Lorenzo said, “It wasn’t a terrible performance, at times we took control and then games change quickly.” He acknowledged “a new era, new faces and they can make mistakes in their first matches”.
He warned, “If we immediately start tearing the Nazionale apart again already, it’s not helpful,” and highlighted a “self‑esteem problem that we can only improve with results against big teams”. He pledged, “We hope to be competitive as quickly as possible, we’ll give it our all.”
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Speaking of Belgium’s star, Di Lorenzo remarked, “He’s a phenomenal player and I am fortunate to see him in training every day. He had a great performance tonight, unfortunately for us, but his quality is beyond doubt.”