Reigning European champions Italy have maintained top spot in Group A3 of the ongoing UEFA Nations League campaign after they played out a goalless draw with England. The Nations League clash between hosts England and Italy at the Molineux on Saturday was the repeat of the Euro 2020 final which ended in heartbreak for the Three Lions. They were beaten on penalties by the Italians after the teams scored a goal each in 120 minutes. Manchester United stars Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford plus Arsenal player Bukayo Saka all missed their spot kicks for England thus allowing Italy to win the Euro 2020 tournament via a 3-2 win on penalties.
Italian football was back at the top after the Euro 2020 triumph as masterminded by Roberto Mancini who had taken over shortly after the country missed out on qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Russian soil. Italian football went on a strong run of 35 games without defeat on the international stage during the same time as the Euro 2020 triumph. The end of the unbeaten run ushered in series of inconsistent results for Italian football. In the end, the Italians failed to qualify for the World Cup tournament in Qatar as a product of those inconsistent results.
The Italians failed to qualify for the World Cup tournament on Qatari soil after losing at home tolowly North Macedonia in the playoffs.
Mancini stayed on as Italy manager and he’s overseeing a big rebuilding job. The rebuilding job has gone to plan with a lot of young players brought into the squad to replace the old ones. He has led Italy to the top of Group A3 after three set of games. The Italians are at the group summit with five points from three games. They had gone to the top after the 2-1 home win over Hungary in their second game in the group. Italy stayed at the top after the goalless draw with hosts England.