the coffee Italian may have very few equals in the world, it’s a safe bet that this Friday, March 25 will have a bitter taste. To accompany it, the titles of the transalpine press will not attenuate its flavor. The vehemence of their criticism of the Nazionale, pitifully eliminated in the play-offs of the 2022 World Cup by North Macedonia (0-1) Thursday March 24 in Palermo, is up to the surprise.
By titling with a laconic “In hell”the Corriere dello Sport summarizes the general atmosphere of a whole country where the calcium is king. Elimination is experienced as “a new disaster”four years after the rout against Sweden (0-1, 0-0) depriving the Squadra Azzurra of the 2018 World Cup. Still in front page, the Roman daily, proposes a bespoke editorial, titled “football is a lie”. “The anagram of ‘Macedonia’ is ‘demonic’ […]. We played alone with our shortcomings: the opponent didn’t exist, was ridiculous and didn’t know what to do with the ball.”continues the Corriere. An analysis not very respectful of Macedonia but which places the Italian players before their responsibilities.
“Out of the world”displays on its side The Gazzetta dello Sport. The Milanese daily is obviously not kind to some players, like Lorenzo Insigne, “ready for canada”where the Neapolitan, tasteless Thursday night, will play next season. Only Verratti (“he deserved the final”) is to be saved. “It’s like that, after North (and South) Korea, we also have North Macedonia”quips the gazzetta in reference to the pitiful eliminations of 1966 and 2002 against these Asian countries.
Measurement is even less appropriate for Tuttosport. The Turin newspaper headlines “Nooooooooo!”, with nine “o”, which speaks for itself. We read there, for example, that Jorginho is a “slug”. The choices of coach Roberto Mancini are, of course, questioned in the inside pages, but there is however in One an appeal “Dear technician, don’t go”. the old mister interiste could pack his bags after the match against Turkey on Tuesday.
In a country where football is a state affair, the disarray goes beyond the specialized daily newspapers. The very serious La Repubblica judge the desillusion “worse than Sweden”. “Wembley-Palermo, journey of no return”as if London’s triumphant night at the Euro was already forgotten by everyone. “A dull team, the one the championship has assigned to them”laments the Roman Il Messaggerowhen the southerner Il Mattino is already taking “dream” of Fabio Cannavaro on the bench, who would be the“first Neapolitan coach”.
Outside the Boot, we are sorry for this failure as much as we laugh at it. “Italy lost in the desert”title The Teamfeaturing the Parisian Verratti on the front page. The English obviously have stubborn resentment after the Euro lost at home. “Italy gets its ass kicked!”rejoices the tabloid The Sun. At least, the earthquake leaves no one indifferent.
The front page of the newspaper L’Équipe on Friday March 25, 2022.
The newspaper > https://t.co/UndowhGCkx pic.twitter.com/AJmWa6l1yM
— THE TEAM (@theteam) March 25, 2022
The shock is such that, rare thing, the Spanish press neglects the current affairs of Real Madrid and Barça. ace ironically takes up the Italian expression Porca Miseria!which could be poetically translated as “Holy sh*t!”. A chastened language close to Dante, which one would almost wonder if he had already known the Squadra Azzurra at the World Cup, as the wait seems interminable.