October 10, (THEWILL) – Italy’s unbeaten run in the Nations League came to an end as they drew 2-2 with Belgium in Rome. The match at Stadio Olimpico saw the Azzurri relinquish a two-goal lead after being reduced to 10 men, resulting in a thrilling encounter for spectators.
The home side made a blistering start, taking the lead within the first minute. Federico Dimarco’s clever interplay with Lorenzo Pellegrini resulted in a low cross, which Andrea Cambiaso converted at the far post. Italy doubled their advantage in the 24th minute when Mateo Retegui capitalised on a rebound from Koen Casteeles’ save of a Cambiaso shot.
The tide turned for Italy shortly before half-time when Pellegrini received a straight red card following a VAR review of his challenge on Arthur Theate. Belgium swiftly exploited their numerical advantage, halving the deficit through a well-executed free-kick. Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard combined to set up Maxim De Cuyper, who curled the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The equaliser came just after the hour mark, with Trossard once again involved. Wout Faes nodded a deep corner into the six-yard box, where Trossard beat Donnarumma to the ball to level the score. Despite their efforts, neither team could find a winner in the remaining time.
This result marks Italy’s first dropped points in their current Nations League campaign. The draw leaves both teams with work to do in their upcoming fixtures as they aim to progress in the competition.
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.
