| Italy (blue) and Hungary players compete for the ball in the final 6th match of the UEFA Nations League Group 3 group stage held at Pushkas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on the morning of the 27th (Korean time). AP Yonhap News |
Italy’s victory in Budapest, Hungary for the first time in 26 years, advanced to the UEFA Nations League Final.
Italy defeated Hungary 2-0 in the final 6th match of the Group 3 group stage of the Nations League at the Pushkas Arena in Budapest on the morning of the 27th (Korean time). It is the first time since 1996 that Italy has reported a victory in Budapest, according to the BBC.
Italy climbed to the top of the table with 3 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss (11 points). On the other hand, Hungary, which was able to advance to the finals even following a draw, was pushed down to 2nd place (3 wins, 1 draw, 2 losses, 10 points). The Nations League is divided into Leagues A to D, and in League A, four groups play a group stage, with the top group going to the finals and the bottom group being relegated to the second division (League B). 3rd place in Group 3 is Germany with 7 points (1 win, 4 draws and 1 loss), and 4th place is England with 3 points (3 draws and 3 losses).
Italy’s Giacomo Laspadori (Napoli) took the ball from the penalty box in the 27th minute of the first half, then beat the keeper and shot with his left foot to open the scoring. And in the 7th minute of the second half, Federico DiMarco (Internacional) scored an extra goal to put the tie into the game.
Italian manager Roberto Mancini said: “It was great for the 70 minutes and I was shaky in the last 20 minutes, but it’s important that we got to the final four.” The Netherlands and Croatia advanced to the finals before Italy. The owner of the other ticket will be decided in the Portugal-Spain match (Group 2) to be held on the 28th. Portugal has 10 points (3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss) and Spain has 8 points (2 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss).
Senior Correspondent Lee Jun-ho
