March 25, (THEWILL)- Roberto Mancini’s Italy made it four games without defeat by beating Ecuador 2-0 in a friendly at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey, on Sunday. Lorenzo Pellegrini and Nicolo Barella were on target, as the European champions geared up for their Euro 2024 defence in style.
Pellegrini opened the scoring with a thunderous strike after just three minutes. The Roma midfielder pounced on a rebound from Federico Dimarco’s free-kick to rocket a fizzing effort into the top corner, leaving debutant Ecuador goalkeeper Javier Burrai no chance.
Despite Ecuador’s bright spells, Italy looked the more threatening side. Nicolo Zaniolo should have doubled the lead before half-time, but Burrai denied him with a superb reaction save. The Azzurri kept probing after the break, and Pellegrini nearly added a second, teeing up Giacomo Raspadori whose header was parried by Burrai.
Ecuador rallied late on as Gonzalo Plata went close twice, but they were caught out in stoppage time. Barella raced clear on the counter-attack to make it 2-0 and seal an impressive win for the new-look Azzurri side under Luciano Spalletti.
The victory extends Italy’s unbeaten run to four matches ahead of Euro 2024, while Ecuador’s six-game unbeaten streak came to an end in New Jersey.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
