The crowd at the Olimpico silences Italy, Mancini remains powerless

In the twilight of the Rome Olympic Stadium, the fans turned the Belgian anthem into a chorus of whistles, as Italy took the field for the first match of Group A1 of the Nations League, a tournament that also features France and Turkey.

The hostile atmosphere on the return from the World Cup

Final whistles accompanied Italy, still scarred by the World Cup disappointment, as it resumed its journey with a defeat. Shortly before the final whistle, Lukaku was whistled at from the moment he entered the second half; he covered his mouth with a finger, trying to silence the stadium.

At the final whistle, Donnarumma approached the former Napoli, Inter and Roma striker, while the referee showed a yellow card to both, quashing any hint of protest.

Mancini's words

Roberto Mancini, on the Rai microphone, commented: "In the first half Belgium played better, we were in difficulty, then in the second they got into difficulty and we had our chances. Only the first half was below expectations, in the second we performed excellently until the Belgian 2‑0 counter‑attack."

Mancini returns to Italy's helm, faces Belgium at the Olympics

He added: "Whistles that hurt? No, of course when you lose you're not happy, the whistles are fine."

Ratings and reactions

Italy's ratings gave Donnarumma a 6.5, calling him the only standout, while the defence received scores between 5 and 6.5. Romano, on his debut, was judged a 5 for a mistake that led to the first Belgian goal.

Donnarumma discusses Lammens' future ahead of Italy‑Belgium clash

Meanwhile, the Belgian side, led by Mark Van Bommel, displayed technical superiority, with Lukaku in defence and De Bruyne in midfield, while Lammens received a 7 in goal.