Goalkeeper and captain of the Italy team Gianluigi Donnarumma assured Monday evening, after qualifying for Euro 2024, that the reigning European champions would go “to Germany to win”.
“We are super happy: after all the difficulties we encountered, we too will be in Germany and we are going there as reigning European champions to win, to bring something home,” declared the PSG goalkeeper at the microphone of the Rai 1 television channel.
“It was done through suffering but this group showed all its strength,” he noted.
Italy finished in 2nd place in Group C with 14 points, like Ukraine (3rd), but its victory in the first leg in September against the Ukrainians (2-1) gives it a direct ticket to the Euro.
The Nazionale had missed its qualification for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup.
“We are happy, because in September we thought it would be complicated. This qualification is important for our team, our country. It’s an immense joy to play this Euro as reigning champion,” said Juventus striker Federico Chiesa.
“It wasn’t easy,” added coach Luciano Spalletti. We had a good match, we created a lot of chances, but we didn’t manage to score this goal which would have allowed us to secure our qualification more easily.
“The match became more physical at the end, it was no longer really football, but the main thing is done,” underlined the former Naples coach, who succeeded Roberto Mancini in August.