Mattia Zaccagni’s added-time goal became even more valuable for the Azzurri after realizing that had it not been for that goal, the four-time World Cup winner would’ve been eliminated. Not only have the Italians advanced from the group, but they also have only England as a “strong” opponent on their side of the draw, while all the other favourites – France, Spain, Germany, and Portugal – are in the other one. The only teams with major trophies in Italy’s path are England and the Netherlands, while Switzerland in the round of 16 is undoubtedly a much easier task than the Three Lions or the Oranje.It’s now confirmed; without THAT Mattia Zaccagni goal, Italy would be OUT of EURO 2024 🤯👋It has changed everything. Crazy 🇮🇹✨ pic.twitter.com/xofrcRGIWC— Italy Focus 🇮🇹 (@theitalyfocus) June 26, 2024 However, the Italian fans were not satisfied with the team’s performance, especially against Spain, and the triumph over Albania wasn’t convincing either. The 98th-minute saving goal against Croatia need not be mentioned again. Hence, people in Italy are pretty sceptical regarding their team’s chances against Switzerland, which almost got the Germans on their knees. Moreover, the Swiss aren’t even worried ahead of the round of 16 clash.🗣️ Murat Yakin (Switzerland’s coach): “We don’t want to worry too much about Italy. The truth is the opposite: Italy needs to worry about us.” 🇨🇭🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/VauTzF8sw8— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) June 27, 2024 Poor performance, Luciano Spalletti’s controversial starting lineups and his arguments with journalists and players only contributed to the chaos. The fans feel the crisis, and thus, there have been fewer Italian fans in every Azzurri match in the tournament, and that will most likely be the case against the Swiss as well.All this only sparked the – among Italians so popular – club divisions. Juventus’ fans are generally less supportive of the national team just because the core of the squad mainly consist of Inter Milan’s players. Moreover, against Croatia no Juve player was in the starting 11 – Federico Chiesa and Nicolò Fagioli entered in the second half while Federico Gatti and Andrea Cambiaso sat the whole match on the bench.EURO 2024: Fantastic left side of the bracket… and then, there’s the one on the rightFurthermore, although you would think that Zaccagni’s goal thrilled the entire Boot, that wasn’t the case. Numerous Roma fans stated they couldn’t rejoice at the Italian equalizer only because the scorer was a Lazio player. For Giallorossi fans, it would’ve been better to be eliminated than to advance thanks to the fiercest rival’s midfielder.With all the problems on and off the pitch, the Azzurri cannot be favourites against Switzerland, and the game is near, only a little more than 24 hours away. There is definitely not enough time to solve all the problems, but if this group of players manages to stick together and jump over the first hurdle united, that could be a sign of change and a new Italy capable of defending the European crown won three years ago.EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – 1/8 FINALSSaturday19.00: (3.40) Switzerland (3.00) Italy (2.55)22.00: (1.65) Germany (4.00) Denmark (6.10)Sunday19.00: (1.45) England (4.50) Slovakia (9.50)22.00: (1.25) Spain (6.50) Georgia (15.0)Monday19.00: (1.95) France (3.40) Belgium (4.70)22.00: (1.43) Portugal (4.75) Slovenia (9.10)Tuesday19.00: (8.25) Romania (4.30) Netherlands (1.50)22.00: (1.95) Austria (3.50) Turkey (4.50)***odds are subject to change***
