Roberto Mancini is confident there is more to come from Euro 2020 semi-finalists Italy after they dumped Belgium out of the competition.
The Italians dispensed with FIFA’s number one-ranked team in a 2-1 quarter-final victory in Munich on Thursday night as they continued to fight their way back from the disappointment of failing to qualify for the last World Cup in Russia.
Asked at his post-match press conference afterwards what he had seen in his team to persuade him better times were around the corner, head coach Mancini said: “The team has progressed game in, game out. Even when there have been tricky matches, the team has always got better – and there is still room for improvement.
Belgium were once again left to reflect upon what might have been with manager Roberto Martinez expressing his sadness for his players.
He said: “The feelings are what you can imagine really, sadness and disappointment because I don’t think these players deserve to be out of this tournament.
“They have done an incredible job to be prepared, to be ready, to go step by step every day from the beginning of the tournament. Today, we faced a very good side and unfortunately, the margins didn’t go in our favour.”
Asked about his own future, Martinez added: “It is very difficult to speak about anything else other than the defeat and that we are out of the Euros. At the moment, it’s still too raw and I don’t want to say anything that could be emotional.”
