This time, a last minute victory did not occur for Italy at the San Siro, as they took on Portugal in their last match of the UEFA Nations League. A 0-0 draw, they finish second in the League A Group 3 standings with five points. In the post match, Roberto Mancini analyzed the performance.
"Few goals? In football, goals are definitely an important detail. We played a great match - we dominated the first half, then there was a fairly normal decline in the second half as players became tired. We must to do something more to score, because we had the opportunities tonight. It is still a step forward, Portugal is a great team. The defeat in the first leg? I always think of getting a result and giving space to young people. Chiesa? Sometimes we should have changed the play more often, Federico created superiority and the team could use him more to perhaps create more danger".
Captain Giorgio Chiellini on the day of his 100th appearance in the Azzurri colours then spoke:
"The atmosphere was special in Milan today. For 70 minutes, we dominated the game with many opportunities created, we just miss something when we unlock a side and are trying to get a goal. We used more heart than head in the final minutes, we must continue to grow because even today we have not been very lucid in important moments. The important thing is to continue to work this way, with serenity and enthusiasm. We faced the champions of Europe, let's not forget that. We must grow thinking about the qualifications for the European Championship too, however, we have honored the Nations League well and we will still be able to play our role in the coming months".
