Italy is even… weaker than the numbers suggest: its latest loss to Belgium came before it missed three World Cups

Even the statistics show that the Italy team Roberto Mancini fielded at Rome’s Olimpico Stadium against Belgium in his first match as head coach—and the team’s Nations League debut—fell short. Despite the enormous difficulties that have plagued the Azzurri in recent years, in fact, the 2-0 loss at the stadium in Rome came against an opponent that traditionally brings out the best in our national team. In fact, Italy hadn’t lost to Belgium since before the now-infamous three consecutive World Cups for which it failed to qualify.

The last time Belgium had beaten Italy before that nightmare night at the Olimpico was, in fact, on November 13, 2015, with Antonio Conte as head coach. Back then, with the Eder-Pellè attacking duo on the field from the opening whistle, Candreva and Parolo in midfield alongside Marchisio, and the flanks manned by De Sciglio, Florenzi, and Darmian, the hosts prevailed 3-1 in Brussels; among the scorers was Kevin De Bruyne himself, who in 2026 caused Alessandro Romano enormous trouble. Since then, the Azzurri had remained unbeaten in six matches, including victories at Euro 2016 and Euro 2020—the latter campaign led by Roberto Mancini and culminating in the European Championship title. In between, they missed the World Cups in 2018, 2022, and 2026, and suffered another defeat against a rival that has now beaten them for the fifth time in 27 head-to-head matches. Italy has won 17 of those matches, but those days seem dramatically distant. Even though their most recent victory—also in the Nations League—was less than two years ago.

The match followed the exact same script in both halves, with two individual errors handing Belgium the two decisive counterattacks. The visitors’ opening goal in the 21st minute came after Kevin De Bruyne stole the ball from Romano’s feet and played a through ball to Mika Godts. Dodi Lukebakio’s second goal in the 69th minute, on the other hand, capitalized on a lapse by Nicolò Barella in the opponent’s attacking third and his teammates’ failure to track back, sparking Mancini’s fury on the bench. In between, the Azzurri had squandered three clear chances to equalize through Kean, Gianluca Mancini, and Pio Esposito, before the head coach made a triple substitution, bringing on Scalvini, Frattesi, and Maldini for Coppola, Romano, and Pio Esposito.

It was a particularly bitter evening for Alessandro Romano, on whom the head coach had confidently staked his hopes as the linchpin of the midfield. The Cagliari midfielder, born in Winterthur on June 17, 2006, to a family with roots in Naples and Puglia, had come up through the Swiss youth ranks before being scouted by Roma in 2022, and then joined Cagliari after a loan stint with Spezia in Serie B. FIFA had approved his change of sporting nationality, paving the way for his call-up to the Azzurri—a decision that did not go unnoticed in Switzerland: “If someone has come up through the ranks here and then prefers to play for Italy, let him play for Italy. The Swiss national team doesn’t have to beg anyone,” former Swiss international Alberto Regazzoni commented with a hint of bitterness.

The result weighs even heavier in light of the goals Mancini set forth upon his return to the Azzurri bench. “Given the decision made years ago, I’ll have to do well to win back the Azzurri fans who got angry or felt betrayed,” the coach himself admitted at a press conference in recent days. That goal became immediately harder to achieve following the match at the Olimpico, as part of the Roman crowd began leaving the stands as early as a quarter of an hour before the final whistle. Now the schedule leaves no room for maneuver: following this defeat, Italy will face Turkey twice before wrapping up the first block of matches with a challenging away game in Saint-Denis against Zinedine Zidane’s France. In League A Group 1, the minimum goal remains securing one of the top two spots to advance to the quarterfinals scheduled for March 2027, but the road has already become an uphill battle after just ninety minutes.