On the one hand, the joy of the debut victory at Euro 2024 against Albania; on the other, the concentration and the head already turned towards the second match of Group B scheduled for Thursday 20th at 9pm in Gelsenkirchen against Spain. Italy, having returned to Iserlohn in the evening after the match against the Albanians (Dortmund is about 40 km away), took to the field in the morning at the Hemberg Stadion for a training session, under the eyes of the young students awarded at Casa Azzurri as part of the competition “The best goal of our national teams: score a goal too!”.
“We did well, proving that we are a balanced national team, who has awareness – the words of the head of delegation Gianluigi Buffon -. Despite a shocking start that could have destabilized us, we continued to grind out the game: as the coach said, our strength is to hold on to the game, we fully deserved the victory. Spalletti always tries to make the most of what he has available, sometimes he uses the stick, sometimes the carrot, I think they are inevitable tools when you have to get the most out of the boys.”
Buffon focused his attention on one aspect in particular: “The serenity with which we managed to remedy the disadvantage, this was the strongest signal to take. Then there is something to improve: with a little more cynicism and anger we probably wouldn’t have risked seeing a fundamental victory vanish in the 90th minute.”
“We have shown that we are a balanced national team that has awareness, despite a shocking start that could have destabilized we continued to play the game, as the coach said, our strength is to hold on to the game, we fully deserved the victory. The coach he always tries to make the most of what he has available, sometimes he uses the stick, sometimes the carrot, I think they are inevitable tools when you have to get the most out of the kids.” “The glass is half full and half empty, it depends on how you want to see it: yesterday we need to focus on the disadvantage and the serenity that we managed to remedy, this was the strongest signal to take, then there is something to perfect, with more cynicism and anger we probably wouldn’t have risked seeing a fundamental victory slip away at the 90th minute”, adds the 2006 world champion.
For Buffon, even paragon between this national team and that of 2006: “There is a lot of similarity, especially in the management of the group. Emotions in returning to Dortmund? Especially in seeing Alex Del Piero on the sidelines: I tend to forget the past, but I made some reference to 2006.” Spain also evokes a good memory, that of the round of 16 at Euro 2016: “It was a Spain perhaps at the end of the cycle, for age reasons. Ours, however, is a national team at the beginning of the cycle: I want to think that in two years we will be at top, but we can already reach high performance levels today.”
“Donnarumma? He put the victory on ice”
Buffon also has praised Gigio Donnarumma author of a decisive save in the final minutes of the match. “He also made more difficult saves than last night’s save, but yesterday’s save was very important because we wouldn’t have had time to respond to their draw. He put a victory on ice which, if it had been lost, would have been a real shame.”
In the morning Buffon observed how “when Italy is there it is the only moment in which we all support the same thing and we all row on the same side. It’s magic. When I come to Germany I am moved when the children greet me and recognize me, because I think I have already passed as a player but instead the memories are passed down by their parents”.