Italy Under-21 Coach Devis Mangia praised his side after beating England. “We never gave the ball away.”

Italy Under-21 Coach Devis Mangia praised his side after beating England. “We never gave the ball away.”

The Azzurrini were dominant and denied at least one penalty, but needed a late Lorenzo Insigne free kick to win this European Championship opener 1-0.

“We suffered a little bit in the final minutes and at the start of the second half when they went to three in midfield, but overall we put in a great performance today,” Mangia told Rai Sport.

“We played all the time and never gave the ball away. It’s only normal that in a game like this the deadlock can be broken from a set piece, but the team played very well.

“Was Insigne going to be substituted before he scored? It’s very difficult for me to take him off, as he’d have to really make me angry!

“Now let us enjoy this satisfaction, look to the next game and rest. The victory is worth three points, but nothing more.”

Italy are now top of Group A, as the other game between Israel and Norway ended 2-2.

The second round of matches are on Saturday with Israel-Italy and England-Norway.

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