If you’re an adult looking to continue playing or revisit your love for soccer, joining an adult recreational soccer league can be a fantastic option. Conversely, let’s say your shirt fits you great in the neck but you’re swimming in the sleeves. Tom Pullen, 18, from Mersea Island, Essex, had recently bought the club’s new shirt and had “Mings” and “15” printed on the back. And to top ’em off just right, we printed our ever-iconic logo on the chest in a tonal hue for an extra subtle flex. Italy lost 7-6 (0-0 after extra time) in a penalty shoot-out after Leonardo Bonucci failed to score his kick. In the semi-finals, Italy beat hosts Germany 2-0 with the two goals coming in the last two minutes of extra time. The score remained 1-1 after extra time and Germany beat Italy 6-5 in the ensuing penalty shoot-out. Italy was drawn in UEFA Group B for the 2014 World Cup qualification campaign. Four days later, he won his first competitive match in charge of Italy, the team’s opening 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Israel at Haifa, which ended in a 3-1 victory for Italy. His first match at the helm was a friendly against France, held at the Stadio San Nicola on 1 September, which ended in a 3-1 loss.
They won their opening match of the tournament by a score of 3-1 against the United States, but subsequent defeats to Egypt (0-1) and Brazil (0-3) meant that they only finished third in the group on goals scored, and were eliminated. Three days after that, he made his debut for Nerazzurri in the Derby d’Italia against Juventus at Juventus Stadium, a 3-1 Inter loss. The successful former Juventus manager Antonio Conte was selected to replace Cesare Prandelli as coach after the 2014 World Cup. Within a week after the game, Roberto Donadoni’s contract was terminated and Marcello Lippi was rehired as coach. Marcello Lippi, who had announced his resignation three days after the World Cup triumph, was replaced by Roberto Donadoni as the new coach of the Azzurri. Italy then managed to overcome a highly defensive Switzerland with another 3-0 triumph, with Manuel Locatelli scoring twice and Ciro Immobile netting the last goal to seal a place into the round of 16 with a game to spare, despite captain Giorgio Chiellini suffering an injury. Italy opened the tournament with a 3-0 win over Turkey, with Turkish defender Merih Demiral scoring an own goal to give the Italians the lead in the 53rd minute, before Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Insigne netted two further attempts.
After a mostly one-sided affair in which Italy failed to take their chances, they managed to beat England on penalty kicks, even though they were down early in the shootout. But if you’re patient enough (it doesn’t take much, honestly), you can find them on sale. The question is when teams don’t allow them to play direct, can they continually create high quality chances? Unfortunately, the likes of Marco Verratti and Giorgio Chiellini were unable to motivate their teams to victory, and North Macedonia were ultimately denied the chance to advance when Portugal defeated them 2-0 in the playoff final. Italy finished first in Group E with a 2-0 win against the Czech Republic, with goals from defender Marco Materazzi (26th minute) and striker Filippo Inzaghi (87th minute), advancing to the Round of 16 in the knockout stages, where they faced Australia. The streak was ended on 7 June 2011 by Trapattoni’s current charges, the Republic of Ireland, with Italy losing 0-2 in a friendly in Liège. The victory set a new record for the longest European Championship winning streak at 15, including both qualifying and the final tournament.
Italy played in the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying Group B, along with France. Italy once again held the scoreline to eliminate the Belgians. Ten different players scored for Italy in the tournament, and five goals out of twelve were scored by substitutes, while four goals were scored by defenders. Others stayed just a few months, including several members of the 1994 World Cup squad who competed in Mexico while awaiting the launch of MLS. However, with a similar fate to the 2014 World Cup group stage draw, Italy were not top seeded into the first pot. In a tight game dominated by possession football, Italy got the breakthrough from Chiesa after 60 minutes; however, 20 minutes later Álvaro Morata equalised for Spain to level the match at 1-1. No further goals were scored in extra time, resulting in a penalty shoot-out; both Locatelli and Dani Olmo failed to score the first penalties for their respective sides, before Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Spain’s fourth kick from Morata. In honour of Italy winning the FIFA World Cup for a fourth time, all members of the World Cup-winning squad were awarded the Italian Order of Merit of Cavaliere.