Italy sink Group E heavyweights Belgium

&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpcnt">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"wpa">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<span class&equals;"wpa-about">Advertisements<&sol;span>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div class&equals;"u top&lowbar;amp">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<amp-ad width&equals;"300" height&equals;"265"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; type&equals;"pubmine"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-siteid&equals;"111265417"&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab; data-section&equals;"1">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;amp-ad>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div><p><b>Italy 2 &&num;8211&semi; Belgium 0<&sol;b><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Emanuele Giaccherini and Graziano Pelle got Italy off to a winning start with stunning goals to sink fellow Group E heavyweights Belgium 2-0&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Giaccherini has hardly set the world alight in three years at Sunderland &&num;8211&semi; and spent last season on loan at Serie A Bologna &&num;8211&semi; but he ignited Italy&&num;8217&semi;s Euro 2016 challenge with a superb strike&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The winger coolly despatched a sublime ball over the top from Leonardo Bonucci in the first half&comma; and Pelle volleyed a second in stoppage time to settle the eagerly-anticipated clash&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Belgium&&num;8217&semi;s big names failed to spark for much of the game&comma; with Romelu Lukaku missing their best chance before he was substituted with 20 minutes remaining&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Belgium at least looked like they could be threatening in the opening skirmishes with Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan&&num;8217&semi;s fierce drive forcing a fine save from 38-year-old Italian Gianluigi Buffon&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>But the Italians made the breakthrough in the 32nd minute when Leonardo Bonucci carved open the Belgium defence with a lofted ball from the halfway line&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Giaccherini peeled away from his marker&comma; took one touch with his left foot and clinically tucked the ball past Thibaut Courtois with his right&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>With Belgium&&num;8217&semi;s defence suddenly all over the place Courtois had to beat away a fierce drive from Antonio Candreva before Pelle planted a free header wide from a corner with the goal gaping&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Belgium were surprisingly flat for most of the first half with Lukaku barely getting a kick and Kevin de Bruyne unable to get into the game&period; Although Eden Hazard occasionally looked dangerous&comma; he could not do it on his own&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>But shortly after half-time De Bruyne finally came to life with a brilliant crossfield ball to Lukaku&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>However&comma; the Everton striker&&num;8217&semi;s first touch took him away from goal and as he lifted his shot over the advancing Buffon the ball curled across goal and wide&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Courtois then kept Belgium in the game with a stunning one-handed save to repel a powerful close-range header from Pelle&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Lukaku&&num;8217&semi;s disappointing evening was brought to an end with Divock Origi summoned from the bench&comma; and the Liverpool youngster had a chance to equalise with nine minutes remaining &&num;8211&semi; but headed De Bruyne&&num;8217&semi;s cross over the crossbar&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Belgium&&num;8217&semi;s night was summed up a minute from time when Dries Mertens crossed into the area&comma; Origi completely missed with an attempted header and the ball ricocheted between Marouane Fellaini&&num;8217&semi;s legs before somehow ending up in the hands of Buffon&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>And moments later Italy broke forward with Candreva crossing for Pelle to thump in a volley and make it 2-0&comma; sparking wild celebrations from Italy&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div style&equals;"padding-bottom&colon;15px&semi;" class&equals;"wordads-tag" data-slot-type&equals;"belowpost">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<div id&equals;"atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed12134d61b">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<script type&equals;"text&sol;javascript">&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;getAdSnippetCallback &equals; function &lpar;&rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;if &lpar; false &equals;&equals;&equals; &lpar; window&period;isWatlV1 &quest;&quest; false &rpar; &rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&sol;&sol; Use Aditude scripts&period;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;tudeMappings &equals; window&period;tudeMappings &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;tudeMappings&period;push&lpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;divId&colon; 'atatags-dynamic-belowpost-68ed12134d61b'&comma;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;format&colon; 'belowpost'&comma;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub; &rpar;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub;&NewLine;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;if &lpar; document&period;readyState &equals;&equals;&equals; 'loading' &rpar; &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;document&period;addEventListener&lpar; 'DOMContentLoaded'&comma; window&period;getAdSnippetCallback &rpar;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub; else &lbrace;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;window&period;getAdSnippetCallback&lpar;&rpar;&semi;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&rcub;&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;script>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>&NewLine;&Tab;&Tab;&Tab;<&sol;div>


Discover more from London Glossy Post

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

- Advertisement -
Exit mobile version