Belgium 0-2 Italy
Another night of
football for Belgium’s so-called golden
generation ended in disappointment as they were beaten 2-0 by Italy. The
problem with golden generations is that they rarely deliver as expected; a team
full of wonderful individual talent is never preferable to one well-drilled
unit. And that is what Antonio Conte’s Italy is and was against Belgium –
well-drilled, disciplined and lethal on the break.
On paper Belgium have one of the strongest teams playing in
this European Championships. Even without their inspirational captain, Vincent
Kompany, they aren’t short of quality defensive options. Toby Aldeweireld and
Jan Vertonghen excelled at the heart of a sturdy Tottenham defence last season,
whilst Thomas Vermaelen, now of Barcelona, was a good defender for Arsenal,
although injuries got the better for him. Belgium is spoilt for choice in
midfield; Marouane Fellaini can be an effective player, Radja Naingolan had a
fantastic season at Roma and is being chased by Chelsea amongst others, whilst
Axel Witsel proved his worth at Porto. Despite a torrid season at Chelsea, Eden
Hazard, leading his country, is one of the most exciting players in European
football, whilst Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku were in excellent form last
season in the Premier League for their respective clubs.
Italy, on the other hand, isn’t spoilt for choice. Despite a
veteran spine of Buffon, the Juventus trident of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo
Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli and the Roman gladiator Daniele De Rossi, the rest
of the team are almost a group of inbetweeners – good at club level, yet not
good enough for one of the most successful countries in European football.
Before the game, Italian pundits and journalists alike labelled Italy’s team as
the worst in 50 years – this was supposedly Belgium’s best ever.
However, games aren’t won on paper, and Italy put in an
impressively gritty performance against the Belgians in Lyon. The game was
played at a high pace from the start, and Belgium enjoyed some good possession
in the opening stages. Italy started less fluently, yet they grew into the game
as the first half progressed. Graziano Pelle and Eder linked up nicely, whilst
Parolo and De Rossi were solid in the centre of the park. In the 32nd
minute, Leonardo Bonucci played what could already be the ball of the
tournament. A looping pass from inside his own half was brought down graciously
by Emanuele Giaccherini, whose sublime touch with his left foot allowed him to
shift the ball onto his right. He curled his shot around Thibaut Courtois into
the bottom corner of the big Belgian’s goal and Bonucci was rightly mobbed by
his team mates for a pass that we are more used to seeing from the likes of
Andrea Pirlo.
Once Italy took the lead, Belgium struggled. The final
fifteen minutes of the first period were played at an almost pedestrian pace.
The second half did however bring an improvement in the Belgium performance, as
they enjoyed longer spells of possession and broke with a bit more freedom.
Thibaut Courtois could be thanked for keeping Belgium in the game, denying
Graziano Pelle and substitute Ciro Immobile with two strong right hands.
However, despite Belgium’s increased possession and opportunities, they failed
to make Italy pay and were wasteful. Romelu Lukaku was played in by Kevin De
Bruyne, yet fired over with his left foot – a chance he would’ve converted for
Everton most of last season. Lukaku was ineffective at holding up the ball and
was replaced by Divock Origi with twenty minutes remaining, whilst Eden Hazard
and Kevin De Bruyne lacked the creative spark that have cemented their
reputations as two of the most potent attacking midfielders in European
football. De Bruyne’s final ball was particularly poor, and his overall
contribution was ineffective as his performance was restricted by the Italian
defence. Divock Origi didn’t hit the form he enjoyed at Liverpool last season
when he came on, and squandered arguably Belgium’s best chance of the game,
heading over Gianluigi Buffon’s goal when he should’ve converted.
As for Italy, they couldn’t have hoped for a better opening
game of the tournament. Graziano Pelle rounded off the scoring with a fantastic
volley; the ball crossed in inch-perfectly by Antonio Candreva after yet
another clinical Italian counter attack. Yet it was Italy’s response to the
Great Wall of China in Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini that were the real stars
of the show, putting in an imperious defensive shift in front of Buffon. If
Bale, Benzema and Cristiano are club football’s best BBC, then the Juventus
trio are the best on the international scene. The Italians played with a three
man defence characteristic of sides managed by Antonio Conte, yet switched
seamlessly to a back five when under pressure, with Giaccherini and Darmian
tucking in when necessary. The defence absorbed Belgian pressure late on, and
can look back on a night’s good work after bringing the clean sheet home.
Giaccherini's goal ended hopes for Belgium's golden generation
After another frustrating night for Belgium’s golden
generation, one wonders whether they will ever put in a tournament performance
that has been heavily anticipated. Exit to Argentina in the quarter finals in
the World Cup in Brazil in 2014 was a disappointment, yet failing to do well
this summer in France when they are among the favourites would be a downright
shambles. Italy hasn’t been touted for success this summer, far from it. Yet,
to his credit, Antonio Conte has obviously made the most out of a fairly
lacklustre squad, and if the Italians can put in performances like that again this
tournament, they will certainly be able to go toe to toe with the big boys.
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