Godts in starting XI, Lammens shines in Rome under Mark van Bommel
Godts was in the starting lineup for the Red Devils in Rome, where goalkeeper Lammens held the goal against Italy, under the guidance of Mark van Bommel. Belgium largely dominated the match, displaying a very high level from the first period.
Prelude and remarks by Gianfranco Zola
Before kickoff, the legendary Gianfranco Zola, former Chelsea player and now head of the youth of Italiaanse football, told the players “Take it easy guys”, a piece of advice translated as “go easy”. He added “Sorry Mr Gianfranco Zola”, highlighting his own stress for the renewal of the Squadra Azzurra. Christophe Franken, special correspondent in Rome, relayed these remarks as part of Sports Football, under the byline of The Associated Press.
Match progression and performances
After twenty minutes, Godts performed an elegant dribble that earned the ticket prize, before scoring the first goal in the 20th minute. Ten minutes later, Lukebakio doubled the score in the 69th minute, thus delivering a 0‑2 victory to Belgium. Lammens was solid between the posts, while the Italiaanse goalkeeper Donnarumma, despite his imposing stature, could not prevent the two goals.
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The Belgische midfield applied intense counter‑pressing at every loss of the ball, preventing Italy from exploiting the vacated spaces. The first fifteen minutes of the second half seemed to level the play, but the Red Devils kept breathing and dominating the duels, confirming the superiority of the first half.
Consequences and outlook
This victory marks a historic entry for the Red Devils under Mark van Bommel, recalling that Italy had not lost at the Stadio Olimpico since May 31, 1953 against Puskas’s Hungary. The next Nations League challenges await Belgium, with a clash scheduled for Monday against France, where Zola will not say otherwise. The line‑ups displayed included, for Belgium, Lammens, Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper, Raskin, Tielemans, De Bruyne, Moreira, De Ketelaere and Godts, while Italy lined up Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Coppola, Calafiori, Barrella, Romano, Tonali, Cambiaghi, Esposito and Kean. The yellow cards went to Raskin, Moreira, Mancini, Fernandez‑Pardo, Maldini, Lukaku and Donnarumma.
Van Bommel leads Belgium to first triumph over Italy since 1972