Roberto Mancini’s second spell in charge of the Italian national team began with a chastening 2-0 defeat to Belgium at the Stadio Olimpico, as the Azzurri were jeered by their own fans both at halftime and at the final whistle.
A Tribute, Then a Tough Night
The match began with a minute’s silence in memory of Sandro Mazzola, the former Italy and Inter Milan forward who passed away earlier this month at age 83. From there, though, the emotional weight of the occasion did little to inspire Mancini’s side. Belgium looked the sharper team from the outset, with Charles De Ketelaere forcing an early save from Gianluigi Donnarumma inside the opening ten minutes.
A Costly Defensive Mix-Up
The breakthrough came in the 20th minute, and it was a moment Italy will want to forget quickly — a defensive mix-up between center-backs Gianluca Mancini and Diego Coppola allowed PSG’s summer signing Mika Godts, a £47 million arrival from Ajax, to waltz through unchallenged and slot low into Donnarumma’s left-hand corner. Belgium continued to look the better side for the remainder of the half, with Donnarumma called into repeated action to deny De Ketelaere, Diego Moreira, and Godts again, as Italy were booed off at the interval.
Italy showed more purpose after the restart, with Nicolò Cambiaghi’s driving run creating one of their better chances, and Moise Kean and Pio Esposito both testing the Belgian goalkeeper. But any hopes of a comeback were extinguished in the 69th minute, when substitute Dodi Lukébakio doubled Belgium’s lead following a pass from De Ketelaere, sealing a deserved win for the visitors and sending Italy’s supporters home dissatisfied for a second time.
A New Era, Contrasting Fortunes
The result marks an impressive start for former Netherlands captain Mark van Bommel in his first match as Belgium boss, in sharp contrast to Mancini’s return, who took charge after Italy’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. Despite the pressure surrounding the national team, Italy had gone into the match having lost just twice in their previous 11 fixtures under interim leadership, but the manner of this defeat — dominant possession for Belgium (with Italy actually completing more passes, 590 at 91.4% accuracy) yet toothless in the final third — will do little to ease growing frustration among supporters demanding a clearer identity.
What It Means
For Italy, this is a deeply concerning start to the Mancini era, with the team booed off twice and offering little going forward despite their possession advantage — a repeat of the kind of underwhelming performances that have plagued the national side in recent years. For Belgium, a professional, clinical away win in Rome sends a strong early signal in Group A1, setting them up nicely ahead of a demanding sequence of fixtures against France and Türkiye.
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