Insigne instead suggested the Irish game beat them more than the absences.
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Italy finished top of their group after a 2-0 win over Belgium and a 1-0 triumph over Sweden. Now Turkey has to go home. Neither does being on the same side of the bracket as Spain, Italy, France and Germany.
Having landed themselves in the same half of the draw as Germany, Italy, Spain and France, England’s failure to top Group B is looking very costly indeed. We’re strong and we’re ready for this run of games. So two footballing cultures are clashing. Spain will face Ita.
But Ancelotti, who compared Spain’s Alvaro Morata to Poland and Bayern star Robert Lewandowski, said the reigning champions are not the team they were four years ago and that Italy have every chance of making the quarter-finals. Italy against Spain will be like getting a championship game-caliber match in the second round. The group play has seen a lot of tentativeness.
It’s a very disappointing decision and I think very negative for many people. It cost them a win over the Czech Republic when they threw flares on the pitch. With Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Ivan Rakitic, and Mario Mandzukic they are the favorites against Portugal.
If Ronaldo doesn’t turn up, neither does Portugal. Simply waiting for a stroke of genius from Ronaldo is simply not enough, even if an outcome in this insane tournament can not be predicted.
He has played with 32-time Italian champions Juventus for the past two seasons, notably scoring the Old Lady’s only goal when they lost the 2015 Champions League final to Barcelona in Berlin. But their opponents Ireland, despite all the euphoria, will be the rank outsiders. Is it a good sign that football fans around the world are discussing the continental tournament where 24 teams are competing for the first time? Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy would be the best combination of strikers in the tournament, but they haven’t been allowed to play together.
Speaking to sports newspaper Diario AS on Thursday, Del Bosque refused to take it for granted Spain would face the Germans, who have to play Slovakia commenting that “no result was assured”.
Iceland’s last-second goal against Austria has thus far been one of memorable moments of the tournament.
Here are the lineups for the match between Switzerland and Poland in Saint-Etienne. We lost for many reasons. Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Iceland all managed to find a way into the last 16.
With both teams coming off potentially momentum-decreasing losses and Italy’s starting XI back in full force, it would be too close to call who of the two teams will advance in the quarterfinals. I expect a really physical, British-style duel.
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Motta, 33, is likely to drop out of the team again come Monday to make way for Roma s Daniele De Rossi for a match he says Italy can win.
