Gennaro Gattuso himself belongs to the breed of "bread and salami" coaches. He puts his heart into it, always.

In the FIFA rankings, Italy is 12th, and Northern Ireland is 71st. In these cases, it is memory that pushes you: just as the English shouted "Remember Stalingrad" to the linesman in the Wembley final, urging him to tell the referee that Hurst's ball had gone in (he obeyed, though it hadn't), the Azzurri played with the weight of "Remember Palermo" following Trajkovski's 0-1 lead in the 93rd minute. For a while, Bergamo supported with the handbrake on, seeing how little Dimarco was contributing, while Retegui and Kean were grabbing at crumbs, poor things, and Politano waved his left pedal in vain.

The hosts, 3-5-2. Them, 5-4-1. The Italians controlled the game (badly). Them, with questionable ball handling. Then, at the start of the second half, Retegui's mistake (my in an opponent's "scrabble") shook things up. A right-footed shot by Tonali (from a Politano blitz), Pio replaces (and overtakes) "Matteo the Arab," and Kean bombs P. Charles to double the score.

A bouquet of corners in our favor, zero risks faced. The Italian national team was fumbling in the dark. Flat, creaking, timid. Suddenly, a match was struck. And fiat lux. That, for now, is enough. Now it takes patience from the Italians, who see themselves approaching qualification for the World Cup 2026 finals after missing the last two tournaments!

It is good for you and your good morning. We, 3-5-2. Them, 5-4-1. We, controlling the game (badly). Them, with questionable ball handling. Then, at the start of the second half, Retegui's mistake—in an opponent's "scrabble"—shook things up. A right-footed shot by Tonali (from a Politano blitz), Pio replaces (and overtakes) "Matteo the Arab," and Kean bombs P. Charles to double the score.

A bouquet of corners in our favor, zero risks faced. We were fumbling in the dark. Flat, creaking, timid. Suddenly, a match was struck. And fiat lux. That, for now, is enough. World, proceed