Italy Defeats Belgium 1-0 to Secure Spot in UEFA Nations League Knockouts

Italy got a crucial 1-0 win over Belgium in Brussels on Thursday, where Sandro Tonali scored the only goal of the match in the opening minutes to help Italy qualify for the UEFA Nations League knockout round. The Azzurri, who have not lost a match in the current campaign, booked their fourth win in five matches and are one of the most reliable teams in the competition. The victory takes Italy to the third position in Group A2, three points above France, and this means the two teams will face each other in an interesting fixture. 

Italy started well right from the first whistle and began to apply pressure on the Belgians. The first goal came in just the 11^th minute when Sandro Tonali calmly slotted a ball into the net for his first international goal. This shot by the Newcastle United midfielder could have easily been a copy of the first thirty-five minutes where Italy totally dominated the match through their possession and pace. 

In the second half, Belgium seemed to wake up and started to challenge the Italian defense. Arne Engels and Zeno Debast performed a couple of long-range shots while Leandro Trossard also tried a similar shot but none could penetrate the Azzurri’s well-organized defense line. At the other end, Mateo Retegui nearly made it double the advantage for Italy but his shot was well saved. 

The match went to its last minutes, and Belgium pushed all their players forward in a bid to score an equalizer. Leandro Trossard’s hooked volley was acrobatically palmed around the post by the Italian goalkeeper, while Romelu Lukaku headed wide from a good position and had another shot saved by a solid Italian defense. In the final stages, Wout Faes hit the woodwork, but Italy stood their ground to secure a big win. 

Italy now joins the list of teams that have booked a place in the knockout stages of the UEFA Nations League for the third time in a row. Italian fans are happy with the performance of the team and they are looking forward to the next round. 

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