Italy European champion, Mancini: “It’s the cup for all Italians”

“It is the cup of all Italians”. Italy are European champions and coach Roberto Mancini, after the victory in the final against England, dedicates the triumph at Wembley to a wounded country, which “finally feels joy after a very difficult year”. In the night, with a faint voice, the technical commissioner tries to take stock after the extraordinary evening. The immediate England goal, the suffering, the reaction and then the deserved draw. Italy held the game for most of the second half, crowned their efforts with Leonardo Bonucci’s goal and perhaps deserved the winning goal. Then, without energy, he resisted in extra time before reaching the end of the penalties: there, Gigio Donnarumma took the chair. Two penalty wallpapers (“I knew he would have taken at least two”) and the triumph. Read also “We deserved the victory, the cold goal created problems for us in the first 15 minutes. Then we took the game in hand, we deserved to close it sooner. We are happy for all Italians, for those who live abroad and for those in Italy, We have given a wonderful month, we have done something we do not realize. We are very happy for the people, who deserved this joy after a very difficult period “, says Mancini. “I feel the emotion after doing an incredible thing and after seeing the lads rejoice, who have been very good on the pitch and have created an extraordinary group in these 50 days. They will always remain connected in the future, they have created something that will make them indivisible” , he adds before a special dedication to “president Paolo Mantovani”, the ‘father of the extraordinary Sampdoria that Mancini and Luca Vialli brought one step away from the Champions Cup right at Wemblei in 1992. “He was here with me when we lost the Champions Cup against Barcelona. A piece of this Cup, which belongs to all the Italians, I think is above all the Sampdorians.