The Italian head coach achieves his first ever victory with the national team against Ukraine after the draw with North Macedonia: ‘The team played good football, well done.’
Luciano Spalletti breathes a sigh of relief after his ‘Azzurri‘ defeat Ukraine at San Siro after the draw in Skopje against North Macedonia: “These have been days of total pressure in my head,” says the Italian national team coach in the post-match interview with Rai Sport. “Now, I am calmer. But we should have had the composure to score the third and fourth goal.”
Spalletti continues, “Tonight, we should be happy with the result. The team played good football and conducted themselves properly on the field. In the second half, Ukraine had some excellent counterattacks, but we need to score the third or fourth goal.”
“In these twenty days, there were several things to take note of and learn from, but I must say that my team have been a tremendous help throughout. They were fantastic.”
He goes on to say, “We must thank the fans because they came, as always in big numbers, to this stadium. The team played good football; if we say otherwise, we would be too critical.”
We played a serious opponent, and it’s normal to concede something. We need to be a bit more ruthless in front of the goal, that’s for sure. In many situations we managed to clear the danger, but they scored a goal. In the second half, they were clever, took some risks at the back, and focused on counterattacks.”
“Today’s win is for everyone in Italy, for the team, for this jersey, for all the fans. It’s just something sacred.”
