Belgium v Italy

:01:10. > :01:36.The time for talking is over, we are set for one of the standout matches

:01:37. > :01:40.in the group stages for euro 2016, Belgium ranked second in the world

:01:41. > :01:51.against Italy, finest in Kiev four years ago. This is the first of six

:01:52. > :01:55.matches to be played in the 59,000 capacity Stade de Lyon. They cannot

:01:56. > :02:06.keep out the rain though, it is pouring down in Lyon, and this is

:02:07. > :02:10.how Group E stands. A heavyweight game requires a heavyweight panel,

:02:11. > :02:17.and very easy to pile on the pounds in retirement so welcome to Rio

:02:18. > :02:21.Ferdinand, Thierry Henry and Gianluca Vialli. I can barely

:02:22. > :02:31.remember going into a tournament of big -- lower expectations of an

:02:32. > :02:33.international side. I think we are quite realistic, we recognise that

:02:34. > :02:39.lately we haven't been able to produce any top-class players but we

:02:40. > :02:44.are also a very pragmatic nation and we know that we have the oldest but

:02:45. > :02:49.also the most solid, reliable and experienced defence in the

:02:50. > :02:54.tournament. History always tells us that when expectations are low in

:02:55. > :02:57.Italy, they tend to do well. It is not a surprise that we would be able

:02:58. > :03:02.to defend very well, what is different is that we will use the

:03:03. > :03:10.defence as a trampoline to play forward, attacking football. We miss

:03:11. > :03:14.good striker, the likes of you or myself. But we are confident that

:03:15. > :03:19.one of the strikers we have will use this stage to elevate themselves as

:03:20. > :03:24.a top-class player. As for Belgium, it very much a Premier League look

:03:25. > :03:28.about it. Yes, we are all used to seeing these players in the Premier

:03:29. > :03:33.League. These guys are talked about as having the best crop of players

:03:34. > :03:38.in the tournament, that brings pressure and expectation. They are

:03:39. > :03:42.called the Golden generation in the country and from everyone else

:03:43. > :03:47.outside. I felt that as an England player, it is pressure, but they

:03:48. > :03:52.have got to prove themselves. They have got the individuals, can they

:03:53. > :03:57.perform on this stage? I'm not sure you are overly convinced with either

:03:58. > :04:03.of these sides? Those guys that said it all. I don't think Belgium have

:04:04. > :04:07.done anything to show they are the Golden generation, you have got to

:04:08. > :04:12.prove that. They have the potential to be, and I hope they will. If we

:04:13. > :04:28.go back with Italy, for me they don't have the Tottis, I won't name

:04:29. > :04:35.everyone, but they have a good team. What you need to know as an Italian

:04:36. > :04:39.is that you are talking of one day the lowest expectation, even when

:04:40. > :04:43.there is the biggest expectation, they are always there or about.

:04:44. > :04:51.Let's check on the teams, starting with Italy. Veteran Juventus keeper

:04:52. > :04:55.Gianluigi Buffon remains the number one. He will play behind the same

:04:56. > :05:01.three centre-backs that he does at club level, Chiellini and company

:05:02. > :05:21.fast approaching 200 caps between them. Candreva and Darmian are the

:05:22. > :05:30.wingbacks. Pelle Partnered with Eder upfront. As for Belgium, Thibaut

:05:31. > :05:43.Courtois is the goalkeeper. A formidable pairing of Nainggolan and

:05:44. > :05:48.Witsel. Lukaku enters the Euros in fine form, you scored four goals in

:05:49. > :05:52.as many matches since the turn of the year. Belgium are full of

:05:53. > :05:58.attacking threat, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Lukaku, but they

:05:59. > :05:59.are missing the talismanic captain, Vincent Kompany, who will be

:06:00. > :06:27.watching from the sidelines tonight. Kevin De Bruyne. The mastermind.

:06:28. > :06:31.Benteke. The game changer. I am the guy that

:06:32. > :06:35.looks for opportunities and I will support my team with everything I

:06:36. > :06:43.have got, with the passion of an Irish fan and the heart of a Belgian

:06:44. > :06:47.player. I am just dealing with it. What is the anticipation like in the

:06:48. > :06:52.squad and back home at Belgium? We used to be the failing Golden

:06:53. > :06:56.generation but people are forgetting the team was very young. With the

:06:57. > :07:00.quarterfinal of the World Cup we started winning games and now this

:07:01. > :07:05.team has to be the best in the world. That's how they believe in

:07:06. > :07:09.Belgium. The main thing I have seen is a great togetherness. You

:07:10. > :07:13.couldn't believe how much these guys deserve something good to happen to

:07:14. > :07:20.them. Great squad, great team spirit. What is success for you?

:07:21. > :07:26.Success for every player in the team will be winning the competition.

:07:27. > :07:30.There is no player in that team that plays at a level where they can

:07:31. > :07:36.justify aiming for less. I am just there to support and we will be

:07:37. > :07:43.positive no matter what. Are these games must win games or must not

:07:44. > :07:47.lose games? As a player every game is a must-win game, but as a

:07:48. > :07:52.bystander, this first game, do not lose it. Knowing the Italians, they

:07:53. > :07:58.don't want to lose the game. Don't leave yourself to wide-open. In this

:07:59. > :08:06.case I am no one, just someone who has an opinion. Just don't lose.

:08:07. > :08:10.They certainly have lots of star players, let's start with Kevin De

:08:11. > :08:17.Bruyne. He is a fabulous talent, called the mastermind. Yes, a

:08:18. > :08:26.beautiful footballer to watch. His balance, plays off both feet, loves

:08:27. > :08:32.running from deep as well. Look at him, from the halfway line, keeping

:08:33. > :08:37.up with play. When he gets the opportunity, this guy is the

:08:38. > :08:42.pinnacle. Very clean feet, very dangerous from set pieces too. A

:08:43. > :08:49.natural footballer, you cannot pin him down. He loves to Rome. That is

:08:50. > :08:53.what's difficult, when you mark a player, he drifts and that's what

:08:54. > :08:58.makes him very difficult to pick up. And what I like about him, he is

:08:59. > :09:08.very direct at times, he can play short or long. His desire to go

:09:09. > :09:14.forward is amazing and he can finish ever so well, that is a difficult

:09:15. > :09:19.skill. Also, if you are playing against someone with two feet, as a

:09:20. > :09:24.defender it is so difficult to mark them because you don't know which

:09:25. > :09:29.way to show them. If he chops back, he is comfortable to do it on his

:09:30. > :09:35.other foot. They have got another player that can ghost past people in

:09:36. > :09:40.Eden Hazard. He had a tough season in Chelsea although he came good

:09:41. > :09:45.towards the end so perhaps he is coming into a bit of form. He

:09:46. > :09:50.reminds me of when I was young, I used to play a video game, I used to

:09:51. > :09:56.give the ball to the best player and just run and do this. It is just

:09:57. > :10:03.crazy. I think that goal gave him a massive boost to do what we are

:10:04. > :10:09.seeing now and what he did in Belgium in the game before the

:10:10. > :10:13.Euros. He cannot do that often but he can. That's like being in the

:10:14. > :10:18.school playground, the older kid in the playground. I can remember being

:10:19. > :10:23.the older kid in the playground but I can never remember doing that! The

:10:24. > :10:27.challenge is to be able to play this many creative players but still keep

:10:28. > :10:31.the rest of the team in balance. It is to find the balance between

:10:32. > :10:37.freedom and discipline and it is not easy. We want to see that now at the

:10:38. > :10:47.Euros because let's not forget he didn't play well all season, he

:10:48. > :10:59.appeared at the end. We can see that Gianluca was the manager because I

:11:00. > :11:03.can see that coming out now. This player divides opinion. He can bully

:11:04. > :11:09.any centre-half on the planet through his physical prowess. His

:11:10. > :11:13.weakness is his back to play. He wants to be running on to things,

:11:14. > :11:19.playing in a team almost that counterattack. That's why maybe he

:11:20. > :11:24.wasn't a success at Chelsea. They want to play into a striker and then

:11:25. > :11:29.play off him. So what you are talking about is you question his

:11:30. > :11:35.runs and the way he plays in the last third. When he can run into a

:11:36. > :11:41.massive space, I think he is good but sometimes I think his runs in

:11:42. > :11:44.and around the box, when a team is deep, are not clever enough but he

:11:45. > :11:51.will score you goals and he is the main guy for Belgium. As a manager I

:11:52. > :11:57.would say he is the mainstay of the game! Italy boss Antonio Conte will

:11:58. > :12:01.take over at Chelsea next season but the former Juventus midfielder who

:12:02. > :12:12.won 20 caps for his country remains focused on the job in hand. I like

:12:13. > :12:20.to fight, I am a perfectionist in my life and I want the best. I want to

:12:21. > :12:29.play with my players, I want my players to feel me very close. I

:12:30. > :12:37.suffer and I win with them. Antonio Conte was my captain at Juventus.

:12:38. > :12:41.Really focused on the tactics. He didn't have a lot of technical

:12:42. > :12:46.quality but he was really smart on the pitch, he understood well the

:12:47. > :12:55.tactics of the game. I think he is the same as a manager. I had great

:12:56. > :13:05.coaches in my experience, in my career. Ancelotti... Many great

:13:06. > :13:11.coaches. I studied them. When you become manager, you must understand

:13:12. > :13:20.that you are not still a player. It is very difficult. Another type of

:13:21. > :13:26.role. He was a very hard coat, he was feeling everything in the match,

:13:27. > :13:34.always moving around the ground. Did not depend on what moment, he was

:13:35. > :13:50.every time a very good subject for the rest. In that moment, for me, it

:13:51. > :14:00.was a defeat but for me it was very important to become good manager.

:14:01. > :14:04.When you fall, sometimes it is more important than you win because when

:14:05. > :14:13.you fail you must understand the reason, no? I have my philosophy. I

:14:14. > :14:14.like to play an offensive football, an attractive football with great

:14:15. > :14:33.intensity. Winning is difficult, it is not for

:14:34. > :14:42.all. This is a fantastic challenge forming. -- for me. After Aaron

:14:43. > :14:46.qualification, it is important for me to prepare in the right way. --

:14:47. > :15:02.our. I think it is not easy to be manager

:15:03. > :15:07.of the Italian national team in this moment. They have a lot of talent,

:15:08. > :15:14.but it is the Euro cup. It is difficult to explain why there is

:15:15. > :15:20.not talented players among the young players in a country where we always

:15:21. > :15:25.had talented players. This tournament is very important to find

:15:26. > :15:35.out good players for the country, for the fans. To make the Italian

:15:36. > :15:39.people very proud. And then, when we finish, only at that time, will I

:15:40. > :15:44.start to think of the new season, and my new experience.

:15:45. > :15:53.That is the Italian manager, as a manager yourself, tell us what he is

:15:54. > :16:02.like as a man. I know him very well, my vice captain at Juventus. He is

:16:03. > :16:05.tactically very knowledgeable, and his teams are always incredibly well

:16:06. > :16:10.organised. He can change system during the match, he is really good,

:16:11. > :16:15.very good at getting inside the mind of the players. He can get them to

:16:16. > :16:22.play with the military and pride and control... Aggression. Intensity. --

:16:23. > :16:29.humility. Very demanding, not particularly flexible. I understand

:16:30. > :16:37.that he has banned pizza and ice cream! What kind of an manager can

:16:38. > :16:40.do that! They do call them the Italian Jose Mourinho, after that

:16:41. > :16:44.disappointing system he will be able to tell the players to shut up, work

:16:45. > :16:49.hard! Takes no prisoners, do it the way that he says it all you are out.

:16:50. > :16:53.I think that Fabio Capello banned a couple of things with the England

:16:54. > :16:57.team. Every single detail is looked at and analysed and dealt with,

:16:58. > :17:02.reminds me of that. He banned butter. I had grown up all my life

:17:03. > :17:07.having butter on toast, and then it was olive oil and salt, I created my

:17:08. > :17:11.own mix to create my type of butter, but that is the details that he

:17:12. > :17:14.deals with, seems to me like he has his team well drilled and organised,

:17:15. > :17:18.they will be difficult to beat like any Italian team. In many ways it

:17:19. > :17:19.seems like the problem for the team is strikers, they do not have any

:17:20. > :17:36.goal-scorers, look at that... Kia we are lacking a striker. We have

:17:37. > :17:39.Pelle and he is the sort of player that is difficult to fall in love

:17:40. > :17:43.with but it is impossible not to respect him, did he works really

:17:44. > :17:49.hard, he works for the team, he's not fast, but he has good technique,

:17:50. > :17:54.and his aerial ability is second to none. He's very good at bringing

:17:55. > :17:59.players into the game. He will be used a lot today, when we have the

:18:00. > :18:06.ball and he can score a few goals as well. If you cross the ball, he very

:18:07. > :18:11.dangerous. He is huge, a huge man, a specimen. What he is good at, he has

:18:12. > :18:18.better feed than people give him credit for. If they have runners off

:18:19. > :18:26.him, then he could be a problem. Very experienced, this team, or, is

:18:27. > :18:33.it simply too old. I would call it experienced, I prefer that word!

:18:34. > :18:38.Don't forget, Italians love a 1-0. Perhaps there is not a goal-scorer,

:18:39. > :18:43.but one nil in Italy, that is a great win. They love that. How do

:18:44. > :18:48.you see this one going, tough one to call, two teams who cannot fathom

:18:49. > :18:53.what is... You will be surprised by the way that we start the match,

:18:54. > :18:56.with so much intensity, so aggressive. I think that we will

:18:57. > :19:04.take them by storm for at least 30 minutes. I think that Antonio Conte

:19:05. > :19:07.has said that he likes intensity and attractive football but also being

:19:08. > :19:13.Italian he likes security, he will make sure they are not too exposed

:19:14. > :19:16.and open. Belgium must be careful. Experience will play a big part, but

:19:17. > :19:21.when you have De Bruyne and Azhar, you will always have a chance. One

:19:22. > :19:32.of the big games of the group stage is Belgium against Italy. -- Hazard.

:19:33. > :19:39.Good evening, everybody, this is a really big head-to-head. There will

:19:40. > :19:47.be plenty more in these euros, but this is a big one, between Belgium,

:19:48. > :19:50.many people's fancied to win the, they may be well champions four

:19:51. > :20:01.times but only crowned champions of Europe once. 1968. They have been

:20:02. > :20:03.runners-up twice since. Once, to France, Euro 2000, and Spain, four

:20:04. > :20:16.years ago. Wonderful new stadium, opened in

:20:17. > :20:22.January, it is the home to Olympique Lyonnais, holding 59,000, and it

:20:23. > :20:27.will be the home of the semifinal in three weeks' time, do not bet

:20:28. > :20:29.against one of these sites being back. First, the national anthem of

:20:30. > :22:19.Italy. -- sites. -- sides. Still gets you going, after all

:22:20. > :22:20.these years. Ladies and gentlemen, please remain standing for the

:22:21. > :23:28.national anthem of Belgium. They probably outnumber the Italian

:23:29. > :23:37.fans, the Belgians, a great read wage behind that goal away to the

:23:38. > :23:42.left-hand side. It has only stopped raining in the last half hour, it

:23:43. > :23:45.has been raining most of the day. Very heavily at times, the pitch

:23:46. > :23:53.will have taken a real soaking. -- red wedge. How Marc Wilmots must

:23:54. > :23:58.miss that Vincent Kompany was not able to work for us today, injuries

:23:59. > :24:07.to defenders were badly timed as well, none of them made the squad,

:24:08. > :24:14.they have 30-year-old Laurent Ciman filling in, he plays for Montreal

:24:15. > :24:18.Impact. But any side that has Romelu Lukaku playing in it, and Eden

:24:19. > :24:22.Hazard, must surely have a chance of doing something special. Lukaku has

:24:23. > :24:27.scored in each of Belgium's last four games. Following Champions

:24:28. > :24:33.League and FA Cup finals, another big day for Mark Clattenburg.

:24:34. > :24:45.Familiar faces, all of his team. Eden Hazard, captain of Belgium, in

:24:46. > :24:50.the absence of Vincent Kompany. Five of this Italian side played in the

:24:51. > :24:56.final of Euro 2012, they are Daniele De Rossi, the famous four from

:24:57. > :25:01.Juventus, Buffon, Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini. 28 game in European

:25:02. > :25:08.Championship or World Cup final tournament for Buffon. The

:25:09. > :25:12.Southampton player Graziano Pelle a's need injury has cleared up. --

:25:13. > :25:25.knee. They met in a friendly in Brussels

:25:26. > :25:32.back in November, Belgian winning it 3-1, 20 second meeting, Italy

:25:33. > :25:38.leading 13-4, with four draws. -- 22nd. You have been looking forward

:25:39. > :25:43.to this one, Martin Keown. Not often that you see in Italian team going

:25:44. > :25:47.into an opening game as the underdog such is the quality of this Belgian

:25:48. > :25:54.team, they have great individuals, can this Belgian team become a team?

:25:55. > :26:01.Italy in the chain strip, getting the game underway, taking from right

:26:02. > :26:09.to left, against Belgium, in the red and black with the yellow flash down

:26:10. > :26:15.the side. -- change strip. So much expected of this Belgian side,

:26:16. > :26:27.ultimately, disappointed at the World Cup two years ago. Chiellini

:26:28. > :26:36.with the throw in for Italy, to Graziano Pelle.

:26:37. > :26:45.What can you say about Buffon? He goes on and on and on, probably the

:26:46. > :26:52.start of the team now, they have lost a lot of the really quality

:26:53. > :26:55.players over the years. Yes. They persist with this back three,

:26:56. > :26:59.fascinating to see how that works, not many teams playing that way, it

:27:00. > :27:06.gives them twin strikers at the top of the team. Marc Wilmots as the

:27:07. > :27:09.team that he set out in the World Cup, Lukaku, disappointing in that

:27:10. > :27:14.competition, surely can only do better this time around. Spoilt for

:27:15. > :27:23.choice upfront, Marc Wilmots, Lukaku has been informed, as we said in the

:27:24. > :27:26.warm up matches. There he is, moving into a dangerous area. It is going

:27:27. > :27:35.to be a throw for Belgian, dealt with by Andrea Barzagli. Lukaku's

:27:36. > :27:46.pace testing them. Putting them in behind. De Bruyne.

:27:47. > :27:53.Active Ciman but that is too high for Lukaku, his brother, Jordan,

:27:54. > :27:59.also in the squad, he is a left back. -- back to Ciman. In the press

:28:00. > :28:03.conference yesterday Antonio Conte said that he wanted a team of

:28:04. > :28:08.warriors, very respectful of Belgium, said they were one of the

:28:09. > :28:14.favourites to win it. Interesting point that you made, Italy always

:28:15. > :28:19.through the years, they have had Janet Kavi Arleigh, they have

:28:20. > :28:25.Baggio, Totty, Alessandro Del Piero, they have had a superstar in their

:28:26. > :28:27.ranks. -- Gianluca Vialli. Exactly, and now it is the goalkeeper. --

:28:28. > :29:04.Totti. The two wide men for Italy,

:29:05. > :29:22.nominally wingbacks. They will play very advanced positions. Chiellini,

:29:23. > :29:28.into Gia. -- Giaccherini. Could not quite get it away, the shot is

:29:29. > :29:31.deflected. Courtois, and Graziano Pelle a perhaps complaining that eat

:29:32. > :29:36.could have looked for the Pars instead of the shot. Noticeably,

:29:37. > :29:45.Italy have their white players high up. -- that he could have looked for

:29:46. > :29:49.the pass rather than the shot. That is a very good ball, looking for the

:29:50. > :29:56.full-back in the middle. Almost got it. Flicked out in the Mick of time

:29:57. > :30:01.by Thomas Vermaelen. -- flicked out in the nick of time. Approving

:30:02. > :30:06.cheering, from the fans of Italy. They have started on the front foot.

:30:07. > :30:22.This system allows them to do that, push runners on.

:30:23. > :30:38.Had an excellent World Cup. His career took him with Juventus and

:30:39. > :30:43.his goal helped France win this competition against the Italians 16

:30:44. > :30:49.years ago. Outstanding finisher, wasn't he, to say the least. I

:30:50. > :31:00.forgot until I saw a rerun of it the other day just how late the French

:31:01. > :31:07.goal was. That is a feature of the back three, they commit to those

:31:08. > :31:52.diagonal balls. This time too much on it.

:31:53. > :32:09.Nainggolan wants it, the Belgian with the Mohican, he didn't get it.

:32:10. > :32:20.De Rossi goes and gets it. He is the playmaker, and now Pirlo isn't

:32:21. > :32:25.there. Fellaini is a man who divides opinion, but he scored four goals

:32:26. > :32:30.for Belgium in qualifying, only one less than Kevin De Bruyne and Eden

:32:31. > :32:36.Hazard. He is an important player for them. Free kick, and Mark

:32:37. > :32:45.Clattenburg coming over. Protesting his innocence, as Vermaelen picks

:32:46. > :32:54.him up. Both boots were high but he has definitely caught him there. An

:32:55. > :33:07.early involvement from Mark Clattenburg. Just laying down the

:33:08. > :33:16.law. Like he likes to do. An apology from Eder to Vermaelen, who appears

:33:17. > :33:22.to be OK. He has been through the mill of injuries of late, the last

:33:23. > :33:26.thing he wants is a knock in Belgium's first game in this

:33:27. > :33:32.tournament. Vertonghen of course playing full-back tonight, not sure

:33:33. > :33:34.about that one. Thibaut Courtois, who yesterday was described as a

:33:35. > :34:13.benchmark for young goalkeepers. I have become accustomed to call him

:34:14. > :34:15.Witsel, but have been pronouncing it wrong. Where do you stand on

:34:16. > :34:34.Fellaini? Dembheli must consider himself very

:34:35. > :35:03.unfortunate not to be playing. He has been playing well all season.

:35:04. > :35:15.Nice little touch off from Eder. Mark Clattenburg is happy for play

:35:16. > :35:28.to continue. The Italians have four in the middle. If Eder can ever get

:35:29. > :35:43.a cross in, but it was dealt with comfortably by Vertonghen. Back in

:35:44. > :35:53.Lukaku, Fellaini... Saved by Gianluigi Buffon. Good football from

:35:54. > :36:00.Belgium, good diagonal ball in. It has been knocked down to him. Expect

:36:01. > :36:09.him to save this, even at 38. Comfortable save for him.

:36:10. > :36:20.Plays for Roma, the man whose shot it was. There is some real hide in

:36:21. > :36:35.there with Fellaini, Lukaku, Vertonghen -- height.

:36:36. > :36:50.Eight major tournament, Gianluigi Buffon. It might have been nine if

:36:51. > :37:01.he hadn't missed one injured. Fouled by Thomas Vermaelen. He is such a

:37:02. > :37:08.big man, isn't he, Pelle. Great receiving the ball in, and his twin

:37:09. > :37:17.striker Eder often makes a run in front of him. Very difficult for the

:37:18. > :37:18.defence to pick up. Usually now teams have a single striker or

:37:19. > :37:38.someone running from deep. Vermaelen's touched on that was

:37:39. > :38:40.important Good play by Pelle. Just that little

:38:41. > :38:43.sloppiness, Marc Wilmots will know he needs more from his team. Giving

:38:44. > :39:15.away too much space at the moment. I think the exercise for Belgium is

:39:16. > :39:23.to get the ball into wide positions and really test the Italians, push

:39:24. > :39:32.backbones wingbacks. -- push backbones wingbacks. -- push back

:39:33. > :40:02.those wingbacks. Nainggolan forward to Hazard, Hazard

:40:03. > :40:28.riddling away. Hazard is playing very deep, isn't he?

:40:29. > :40:48.Kevin De Bruyne, that was a lovely ball into Lukaku, and good

:40:49. > :40:54.defending. Chiellini wasn't quite sure, and Gianluigi Buffon says no,

:40:55. > :40:56.you did right. You saw the contrast there, didn't you? Not quite as good

:40:57. > :41:12.on the ball. The back three know each other

:41:13. > :41:14.inside out. It must be fantastic, with the goalkeeper is well right

:41:15. > :41:26.behind them. Too high for Simon by considerable

:41:27. > :41:50.margin. Giaccherini is playing with such

:41:51. > :41:56.confidence, certainly not the player we saw at Sunderland. Here is

:41:57. > :42:08.Giaccherini. Kevin De Bruyne trying to pick his

:42:09. > :42:10.moment and he picked the wrong one. The clearance wasn't convincing, was

:42:11. > :42:32.it? Bonucci this time safe. I think that

:42:33. > :42:44.will be a free kick. Just across in there, look how calm he is, no

:42:45. > :42:57.panic. Belgium will want to test him one versus one with Lukaku. Eder,

:42:58. > :43:03.not quite quickly enough out of the blocks to beat that. There is a

:43:04. > :43:08.criticism of Eder, he doesn't quite read everything from Pelle. Pelle is

:43:09. > :43:32.very intelligent. Hazard couldn't quite find Lukaku.

:43:33. > :43:37.He looks in the mood. He does, when he wants to run at people it is a

:43:38. > :43:42.frightening sight, isn't it? Downhill slalom springs to mind. He

:43:43. > :43:53.didn't score a goal in the Premier League until the back-end of April

:43:54. > :44:04.against Bournemouth. The ball had gone out of play which was rather

:44:05. > :44:17.fortunate for Giaccherini. Good work from Eden Hazard.

:44:18. > :44:20.That is Cleverley disguised in towards Fellaini, but also well

:44:21. > :44:35.defended. Found its way to Giaccherini. Got to

:44:36. > :44:43.keep it there, doesn't want to lose it.

:44:44. > :44:49.Before, in European Championship finals, Belgian, in Euro 98,

:44:50. > :44:56.prevented Italy from reaching the final of the tournament, which they

:44:57. > :45:00.were hosting that year. They went to lose the final two West Germany and

:45:01. > :45:03.Italy beat Belgium in the tournament they were co-hosting, Euro 2000,

:45:04. > :45:18.2-0. Fascinating, now, the way that

:45:19. > :45:23.Belgium are retaining the ball, looking for the moment, for the

:45:24. > :45:30.kill. Intelligent ball, chased by Lukaku. The longer that Belgium have

:45:31. > :45:48.the ball, they become a back five, Italy, they cannot get out.

:45:49. > :45:54.Thibaut Courtois has made the decision to come, and it is a good

:45:55. > :45:59.one. For a moment there, it was about the timing. He has been sent

:46:00. > :46:03.off a couple of times this season. He has certainly not have the season

:46:04. > :46:05.he would have been hoping for. That is in common with everybody at

:46:06. > :46:24.Chelsea last season. Interesting 20 minutes, Eden Hazard.

:46:25. > :46:41.Good positioning from him. Eden Hazard, so far, has been busier

:46:42. > :46:58.than De Bruyne. Here he is. Bonucci, again, at the moment,

:46:59. > :47:10.everything is attracted to Leonardo Bonucci.

:47:11. > :47:23.Throw from the Belgian centre back, Jan Vertonghen. Deflection, he is

:47:24. > :47:33.not going to get it from Mark Clattenburg, and it is a goal kick

:47:34. > :47:34.to Italy. Trying to get out. These Italian defenders will certainly be

:47:35. > :48:03.in the game after this one. Bizarrely, long, towards Darmian. --

:48:04. > :48:10.Barzagli. That was a sliding challenge from Ciman and a goal kick

:48:11. > :48:16.has been given. The Belgian right back gives the referee the thumbs

:48:17. > :48:17.up. Seems to catch him but it is just outside the box, Mark

:48:18. > :48:31.Clattenburg was right on the spot. Not too many objections from the

:48:32. > :48:38.Italian players. In all honesty, I'm surprised there is not more. Pretty

:48:39. > :48:48.rash challenge, which he did not time very well.

:48:49. > :49:01.Perhaps a surprise that they picked him from the start. Moving in front

:49:02. > :49:06.and finding De Bruyne. It has found its way to Fellaini. That is off

:49:07. > :49:24.Chiellini, it is a Belgian corner. Nipping in front of Matteo Darmian.

:49:25. > :49:25.The fullbacks want to push forward. Outnumbering the Italians, in wide

:49:26. > :50:32.positions. Nicely round the corner from Eden

:50:33. > :50:33.Hazard. Free kick is given. Foul on Fellaini, free kick taken and taken

:50:34. > :51:04.quickly. Alderweireld. Ciman four. Looking

:51:05. > :51:16.for De Bruyne, could not quite get it through. Giaccherini. Antonio

:51:17. > :51:23.Conte, claiming a foul on Matteo Darmian, from Laurent Ciman. Wanted

:51:24. > :51:28.him to go down there, interesting that they cannot get De Bruyne on

:51:29. > :51:33.the ball, he has not been on the game at all, he switched wings

:51:34. > :51:36.there, they doubled up on the left. Talking to an Italian journalist

:51:37. > :51:41.yesterday at a press conference, about Antonio Conte, who will have a

:51:42. > :51:44.Premier League season next year, and I asked what he is like, he said, he

:51:45. > :52:08.is a maniac, but he is a clever one. I'm not sure what they are

:52:09. > :52:10.complaining about. Eder with the foul.

:52:11. > :52:18.I think that Belgium can move this ball much quicker. Eden Hazard. Jan

:52:19. > :52:28.Vertonghen, with the cross. De Bruyne got their ahead of

:52:29. > :52:38.Darmian, needs a little bit of help. Giaccherini fluffed his lines. With

:52:39. > :52:43.all that talent Belgium have on the pitch, they need to move it quickly.

:52:44. > :52:48.Sometimes feels like you are watching Manchester United and the

:52:49. > :52:55.way that they played last year, like the handbrake is on.

:52:56. > :53:05.There has been a feeling in Belgian football around Marc Wilmots as

:53:06. > :53:10.coach, this is such a once in a generation group, that they must not

:53:11. > :53:15.let this slip through their fingers and grow up and move on and retire

:53:16. > :53:21.without having achieved something. The pressure is on the coach to get

:53:22. > :53:30.the best. Out of the players that he has. The players are potentially

:53:31. > :53:40.something else. The envy of Europe, the quality that they have.

:53:41. > :54:01.Good ball. Good covering. Laurent Ciman. Giaccherini making the most

:54:02. > :54:03.of that gift. Courtois. Decent punch, but no better than decent,

:54:04. > :54:17.Giaccherini... Fellaini, in quickly, as are... May

:54:18. > :54:25.open up. Might have done, but it was extremely well defended again by

:54:26. > :54:33.Bonucci, Darmian... Pelle... Shot. Court was new where it was heading.

:54:34. > :54:38.Definitely needed to make the net rippled out, testing the goalkeeper,

:54:39. > :54:59.keeping him honest, but does not have enough bend on it.

:55:00. > :55:06.Italian free kick. Fellaini is stunned by Mark Clattenburg's

:55:07. > :55:24.decision. Buffon will, injury permitting,

:55:25. > :55:44.reach 160 caps at this tournament, for Italy. That is a great ball.

:55:45. > :56:01.Kept in... Can he get there? He can. Cannot quite beat the Belgian, Jan

:56:02. > :56:07.Vertonghen. Lukaku, De Bruyne... Suddenly an injection of pace in the

:56:08. > :56:10.game, Italian pace. They seem to be able to do this, slow it down at

:56:11. > :56:17.times and then give really good effort. The Nietzsche, he is picking

:56:18. > :56:26.the pocket every time. It has been a masterclass, so far. Chiellini,

:56:27. > :56:32.coming forward, it really has been a masterclass. -- Bonucci. Gets his

:56:33. > :56:39.reward, wants to come forward. So positive, looking for it again.

:56:40. > :56:43.These Italians know exactly what they are doing, everyone knows their

:56:44. > :56:54.role and responsibility in this team. Barzagli E, to Bonucci,

:56:55. > :57:08.getting it down... He is in, and he scores! Fantastic ball to

:57:09. > :57:20.Giaccherini, who did not hesitate! Belgium are behind to the Italians.

:57:21. > :57:31.Wonderful goal. The Belgian defence standing around like mannequins,

:57:32. > :57:36.wonderful pass, on the training ground, great movement, Giaccherini,

:57:37. > :57:44.ball watching from the defender, great first touch, tucks it away.

:57:45. > :57:53.With aplomb. Fantastic finish. That is ruthless finishing. Bonucci's

:57:54. > :58:08.pass... The line... And the Finnish. Talk about top defenders. What about

:58:09. > :58:13.that for a pass to go with it. The manager supported Giaccherini and he

:58:14. > :58:25.plays his best stuff for the national team. 1-0, Italy. They may

:58:26. > :58:34.be, in this game. Never write off the Italians. That is pretty much

:58:35. > :58:38.something else that the Italian journalist said to me yesterday. The

:58:39. > :58:43.one he said that Antonio Conte was a maniac. He also said it was the most

:58:44. > :58:48.Italian team he has seen in 50 years. LAUGHTER

:58:49. > :58:53.He did! Eden Hazard, what have Belgium got here? Into the box,

:58:54. > :59:15.slightly unconvincingly, Nainggolan. Great camera angle, look at that.

:59:16. > :59:23.Picks it up, wait, direction on the ball... Perfect. -- weight. This

:59:24. > :59:34.Premier League season, one of our best defenders in the Premier

:59:35. > :59:39.League. Leaves him. Alderweireld. The centre half with the vision and

:59:40. > :00:25.the execution to find him. Will take the throw in eventually,

:00:26. > :00:34.Marco Parolo. Courtois at to get everything behind that, lashed in by

:00:35. > :00:38.Candreva. -- had to. Fantastic from their, he has called for Warriors,

:00:39. > :00:49.the manager, certainly not holding back. Played extremely well, the

:00:50. > :00:54.Italians. They have the lead, they have a corner.

:00:55. > :01:00.Another corner. Wicked ball in, you have to say. The Belgian defence is

:01:01. > :01:14.all over the place. The ball should not be getting through there.

:01:15. > :01:29.Fellaini... Pelle got it wide. Should have been two. Unquestionably

:01:30. > :01:36.should have been two. It is a schoolboy error. Fellaini leaves it

:01:37. > :01:41.to Lukaku, Lukaku leaves it to Fellaini. Pelle should have put that

:01:42. > :01:54.away. No one knows who is going for the ball. Suddenly, that is a great

:01:55. > :01:57.opportunity, missed. What a chance. There is a long way to go in this

:01:58. > :02:02.game, but the way Italy have played so far, at 2-0 down, you would say

:02:03. > :02:29.Belgium have a huge problem. Lukaku has given it away. Chiellini.

:02:30. > :02:35.Looking very awkward, Lukaku. Belgium play on. Kevin De Bruyne has

:02:36. > :02:40.now gone down in the challenge with Bonucci. Italy have two players down

:02:41. > :02:54.and Belgium one at the moment. De Rossi is holding the small of his

:02:55. > :02:56.back. Bonucci was back on his feet, and a little bit more slowly, so is

:02:57. > :03:09.De Rossi. Well, it is quite a heavy challenge

:03:10. > :03:18.but he seems to have made a lot of it. The impact was more with the

:03:19. > :03:21.turf than with Fellaini, I think. It was a foul on Kevin De Bruyne in the

:03:22. > :03:38.end so we are coming all the way back to take that.

:03:39. > :03:56.Simon for Belgium. Giaccherini in very quickly. Fellaini... Of course

:03:57. > :04:01.Bonucci is there. Belgium need their players to stand up and be counted,

:04:02. > :04:10.needs a reaction from them. We haven't seen anything much from

:04:11. > :04:16.Kevin De Bruyne so far. It is worth a shot but I think Gianluigi Buffon

:04:17. > :04:24.knew where that was going. Two more euro 2016 games for you tomorrow,

:04:25. > :04:29.Austria against Hungary at 5pm, and then our first chance to see

:04:30. > :04:35.Cristiano Ronaldo in action, it is Portugal against Iceland at 7:30pm

:04:36. > :04:45.on BBC One. Don't forget, England versus Wales is live on the BBC on

:04:46. > :05:03.Thursday. We will switch over to BBC One at 1:30pm for that one. Good

:05:04. > :05:09.ball to Eden Hazard. Candreva with Hazard. He has found Kevin De

:05:10. > :05:15.Bruyne, who has found some space... Shut down by the ever eager

:05:16. > :05:27.Chiellini. They just love that, proper defending. Better though from

:05:28. > :05:39.Kevin De Bruyne. Looking for Fellaini there.

:05:40. > :05:46.Expectations not that high of Italy, despite the fact they were unbeaten

:05:47. > :05:48.in qualifying for it, but their performance has certainly been of a

:05:49. > :06:31.high standard so far. The last five minutes of an

:06:32. > :06:39.intriguing first half. We are going to learn a thing or two about game

:06:40. > :06:50.management. The rebound didn't fall kindly for Lukaku. Kevin De Bruyne

:06:51. > :07:00.with the half chance. Buffon the Peacemaker. Better though from

:07:01. > :07:07.Belgium. De Bruyne, making a really good run off the ball from a wide

:07:08. > :07:09.position into a central area. De Rossi is getting a little talking to

:07:10. > :08:00.from Mark Clattenburg. Very slow, isn't it? Predictable.

:08:01. > :08:07.Certainly being soaked up by Italy so far, and that little 12-macro

:08:08. > :08:26.didn't come off. Vermaelen there for Belgium. -- that little one-two.

:08:27. > :08:28.Fellaini with the downward header. A little less than the sum of their

:08:29. > :09:01.parts at the moment, Belgium. Just talking about game management,

:09:02. > :09:08.just doing everything right, getting into the right shape. There's five

:09:09. > :09:18.across the back now, just seeing it out until half-time. Fellaini has

:09:19. > :09:23.Bonucci for companies. De Rossi there. They can do no more than

:09:24. > :09:36.concede a throw and Belgium are hoping to concede this first half on

:09:37. > :09:43.the front foot. Still no nil nil in this tournament. Mark Clattenburg's

:09:44. > :09:48.whistle, Italy's free kick. Fellaini is pushing. They both got hold of

:09:49. > :09:53.each other in fairness, but he just shoved him. He could probably

:09:54. > :09:58.justifiably argue that Barzagli started that. That is the run there

:09:59. > :10:21.from De Bruyne. Hazard, running from deep. The bit

:10:22. > :10:23.of a panicky clearance from Darmian. Just a little taster of what Hazard

:10:24. > :10:43.is capable of. Pelle in the middle, arm raised, and

:10:44. > :10:48.he has found him. He couldn't pick out Giaccherini. And now is the

:10:49. > :10:59.chance to break. De Rossi getting back but it is four onto four, more

:11:00. > :11:03.white shirts arriving now. Giaccherini, just a little bit of

:11:04. > :11:08.uncertainty about Italian defending all of a sudden. Giaccherini now

:11:09. > :11:11.trying to inject a little more composure into it. It was suddenly

:11:12. > :11:40.end to end there. It is a good ball in as well, Pelle

:11:41. > :11:46.just cannot get enough on it. Belgium can count themselves

:11:47. > :11:50.fortunate that they are not 2-0 down because the two chances, the two

:11:51. > :11:57.best chances by a mighty long way have both gone Italy's away. One

:11:58. > :12:06.converted, one not. And that is half-time. It is a very good half of

:12:07. > :12:17.football by Ontario -- Antonio Conte's Italy. Pelle could and

:12:18. > :12:24.probably should have made it two but at half-time it is 0- one.

:12:25. > :12:28.Never take any notice of the world rankings, that is something to learn

:12:29. > :12:33.from this game. Italy went in without any great expectation but

:12:34. > :12:38.they are delivering, as they so often do, when not fancied. We have

:12:39. > :12:44.been very impressive, we deserve to be ahead. We have a very simple but

:12:45. > :12:48.effective game plan. We defend very compact, very high, but that is the

:12:49. > :12:55.trampoline to play offensive football. We can play wide or to the

:12:56. > :13:00.Centre forward, behind space. So far we have been excellent, I hope we

:13:01. > :13:07.can sustain the same intensity for the second half. Impressed by the

:13:08. > :13:12.Italians? I said before don't step on the Italians because that is one

:13:13. > :13:16.thing they can do. One thing I am surprised is they are trying to play

:13:17. > :13:22.from the back, still trying to pass the ball through the line to the

:13:23. > :13:27.striker. Calm, repetitive passes, but also that pragmatic approach

:13:28. > :13:33.when they need to defend. Very important for them. I am shocked at

:13:34. > :13:46.Belgium, number two ranked team. They played exactly into the

:13:47. > :13:51.Italians' hands. No width. If you can see the Italian players in front

:13:52. > :13:55.of you, this is food and drink, it is easy. They haven't asked the

:13:56. > :14:00.Italians one question yet. You are seeing a bunch of talented

:14:01. > :14:05.individuals but less players that play as a team. It shows the

:14:06. > :14:11.importance of doing that, there has never been at a rare example than

:14:12. > :14:15.those 45 minutes. You need to have togetherness, Italian teams have

:14:16. > :14:26.that in their DNA but I don't sense that togetherness yet with Belgium.

:14:27. > :14:35.Is it a lack of togetherness or not very good tactics? I think it is a

:14:36. > :14:41.mix may be, but like Jan Luker said before, individuals. They all want

:14:42. > :14:44.to be the top players. Everyone has individuals, but what I'm saying is

:14:45. > :14:50.perhaps they have not been tactically cute enough to play in a

:14:51. > :14:54.certain way. But what I am saying is simple, as a player sometimes the

:14:55. > :15:01.manager will tell you something but then sometimes the game takes over

:15:02. > :15:08.and you play the game. As a wide player, you cannot play a role in

:15:09. > :15:11.the back three. You are playing the Euros, sometimes it is about passion

:15:12. > :15:18.and desire, and I don't see that desire. You can blame the coach, but

:15:19. > :15:24.also you as a player, look in the mirror, are you playing well?

:15:25. > :15:29.Cracking goal, wasn't it? Very good goal. We have been very good because

:15:30. > :15:35.we know what to do whenever we have got the ball. You have got players

:15:36. > :15:41.coming short, going in space, like Giaccherini. The pass is marvellous.

:15:42. > :15:48.Bonucci with time on the ball can play this kind of pass. Giaccherini

:15:49. > :15:56.had great timing, his run forward is great, and the control.

:15:57. > :16:02.This is a great touch, gold, everything you want you have in the

:16:03. > :16:05.game, if the defender is an absolute nightmare, you can see, standing

:16:06. > :16:14.there, running behind, you have the wit stop if you have space, he can

:16:15. > :16:18.run in behind. I feel like I am repeating myself all the time, when

:16:19. > :16:26.that striker standstill and stands in front of you, he has a nosebleed!

:16:27. > :16:30.Italians attack too much, he has a nosebleed! When you have a

:16:31. > :16:34.striker... LAUGHTER These guys have run behind you, when

:16:35. > :16:39.you have that... Perfect example to show what you are talking about,

:16:40. > :16:46.Italy's high backline, and Lukaku not taking advantage. Look at that,

:16:47. > :16:51.you can see the tactics, all in sync, Graziano Pelle, the difference

:16:52. > :16:55.between the backline and Pelle, compact, not playing through the

:16:56. > :17:02.middle. You were saying that could be a dream for a striker. Space in

:17:03. > :17:05.behind, yes. There is space in behind, that line was really high.

:17:06. > :17:13.We can see that a bit better here, not just Lukaku, De Bruyne? Can he

:17:14. > :17:17.make a run? No, he has not, it becomes easy for you, especially for

:17:18. > :17:21.the defenders, you see that, tight, and they go through the middle,

:17:22. > :17:25.Italy love that. What Italy have done well, they have said, you are

:17:26. > :17:32.not coming through the middle of us, you have to go wide to get any

:17:33. > :17:34.opportunities. They had one other opportunity, with Lukaku, you were

:17:35. > :17:40.really frustrated about his movement. Yes I was, because he did

:17:41. > :17:44.ever so well at the beginning, De Bruyne was going to get the ball, he

:17:45. > :17:50.did ever so well. Going behind, open it up, make it big. Turning twice...

:17:51. > :17:54.Now, make that run, make it easy for the man who is on the ball. That

:17:55. > :17:58.would have been an easier path. Look at De Bruyne, has a little luck

:17:59. > :18:03.saying, why did he not run in between. There is a big question

:18:04. > :18:13.over him, over Lukaku, that should have been one on one, with the

:18:14. > :18:16.goalkeeper, and if used God, that is a different story. That is what

:18:17. > :18:20.Lukaku has been waiting for the whole game, but you have to make the

:18:21. > :18:24.right decisions, smell where the space is, defender knows he's quick,

:18:25. > :18:29.runs back to the goal, does not even look at the man on the ball. Once

:18:30. > :18:33.you see the back of the defender, we knew, the striker, you are in

:18:34. > :18:36.charge. On the other hand, we are well organised! LAUGHTER

:18:37. > :18:42.We have so many options, we can play wide, Centre forward... Having a lot

:18:43. > :18:47.of joy getting balls to the front pair. Have you realised how many

:18:48. > :18:51.players we send in? We are not afraid of playing the ball from the

:18:52. > :18:54.back. Either ball to the centre forward, we start from there. He can

:18:55. > :18:59.lay it back. We sent for five players into the box every time.

:19:00. > :19:02.When you have two central midfielders who are in their two

:19:03. > :19:06.shields the back four, these balls should not be possible, they should

:19:07. > :19:14.be shielding, they know the ball will come into Pelle, we set it in

:19:15. > :19:19.the green room, Gianluca said it, they are so far apart in some ways.

:19:20. > :19:24.How can that happen? They cannot be that wide open in the middle, that

:19:25. > :19:29.is why I am thinking, perhaps they should be holding a line. You have

:19:30. > :19:33.got to put Ms Dembele as a ten, and if you have two holding and not even

:19:34. > :19:36.being able to shield it properly, sometimes with one it is more

:19:37. > :19:42.difficult, more difference to cover. -- Melissa

:19:43. > :19:48.you are screaming, the ball should not come in that quick and that soon

:19:49. > :19:54.and regular like that. We have seen a lot of teams in this tournament,

:19:55. > :19:59.1-0 ahead and then they sit back. They had a great opportunity to make

:20:00. > :20:02.it 2-0. From this corner kick, Graziano Pelle a should have done

:20:03. > :20:06.better, considering how good he is with his headers. He should have but

:20:07. > :20:12.the ball in the back of the net. It would have been easier. I don't

:20:13. > :20:16.think we are going to drop to deep, unless Belgium put us under

:20:17. > :20:22.tremendous pressure. The idea is going to be to keep going forward

:20:23. > :20:29.and try to score the second goal. He would have done a bicycle kick,

:20:30. > :20:33.Gianluca, a younger Gianluca! The rest of today's action, starting

:20:34. > :20:34.with the other game in the group, the Republic of Ireland against

:20:35. > :20:48.Sweden. COMMENTATOR: Gets the shot,

:20:49. > :20:59.goalkeeper parries away, that is what he's capable of doing, Brady.

:21:00. > :21:08.Did well... Right foot, exploded the shot, over. CO-COMMENTATOR: It is a

:21:09. > :21:15.good strike. Brady, through the gears. Two ahead of him. Takes the

:21:16. > :21:22.return, goes for gold, lovely move, rocked the bar! Best move of the

:21:23. > :21:25.game, by a mile. Hitting it straightaway, he has caressed it

:21:26. > :21:32.rather than smashed it, very unlucky. -- goes for goal.

:21:33. > :21:43.Checks back, goes again... Back to the edge of the penalty area... Wes

:21:44. > :21:51.Hoolahan! Oh yes, yes, yes! How good was that, fantastic technique. What

:21:52. > :21:55.a lovely strike! Definite perfect contact. With his right. Unbridled

:21:56. > :22:08.joy! Steps away from his marker.

:22:09. > :22:12.Brilliant save, deflection, hammered high! Should have scored,

:22:13. > :22:27.opportunity from nowhere. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, goes to put it

:22:28. > :22:34.back... Larson is in there, it may have gone in off Clark. Own goal,

:22:35. > :22:38.nothing worse. He has got to deal with that. He has got it

:22:39. > :22:55.spectacularly wrong. COMMENTATOR: Good ball from Sergio

:22:56. > :23:02.Ramos. Supported by David Silva. Good save by Petr Cech, straight

:23:03. > :23:12.into his midriff, by Morata. Unable to turn it past Cech. Morata. Fetes

:23:13. > :23:17.to shoot, does the second time, inches wide. It is a case of nearly

:23:18. > :23:27.but not quite for Spain, on more than one occasion in the first half.

:23:28. > :23:33.Hooked clear. Thomas Rosicky... Pressure unrelenting from Spain,

:23:34. > :23:38.chance, and a goal! Gerard Pique, finally, the defending champions are

:23:39. > :23:42.up and running, with three and a half minutes remaining of the 90.

:23:43. > :23:51.Gerard Pique, not sit home. Spanish patience pays off. -- nods it home.

:23:52. > :23:56.Can they create an opening late in the day to snatch a draw, good save

:23:57. > :24:04.by David de Gea, beaten away by the goalkeeper. So close to an

:24:05. > :24:07.equalising goal. In added time. Might just not be their day. STUDIO:

:24:08. > :24:40.Tomorrow it is time for this man... Wonderful movement, took his time,

:24:41. > :24:46.picked his spot, he has done it, could it be his tournament?!

:24:47. > :25:15.You lay there, sleeping, forgotten by the outside world. The dragon

:25:16. > :25:22.under the mountain. Something has stirred.

:25:23. > :25:39.Enter the Dragon! Wales against England, live on BBC.

:25:40. > :25:54.All matches are available on the iPlayer, as is this. We should talk

:25:55. > :25:57.about some of these sites I would like to see, I really want to see

:25:58. > :26:01.Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, the Houses of

:26:02. > :26:05.Parliament... Do you know where that is?

:26:06. > :26:11.The two teams are out, let's rejoin the commentators.

:26:12. > :26:21.COMMENTATOR: Thank you very much, not all of the two teams are out, we

:26:22. > :26:31.are waiting for Jan and Buffon. There is no one in the Italian net

:26:32. > :26:36.at the moment, I'm sure that Mark Clattenburg, the referee, has

:26:37. > :26:41.noticed. -- Gianluigi Buffon. Very good path for the Italians but I'm

:26:42. > :26:47.sure that Marc Wilmots will have had words to say to his team and will be

:26:48. > :26:50.looking for improvement. They have not turned up, much more passion,

:26:51. > :26:57.tactically the Italians have been far better. We have not seen Hazard

:26:58. > :27:01.or De Bruyne on the ball. Lukaku is a tiger at times but tonight he has

:27:02. > :27:06.been a pussycat. I hope they have had words at half-time. But the

:27:07. > :27:07.Italians have been first class. No substitution from either manager so

:27:08. > :27:38.far. Belgium zero, Italy one. We will see if they play it into the

:27:39. > :27:41.white editions. It is a nightmare, when the ball goes in where the

:27:42. > :27:50.fullback should be. I have played Italy three times. -- -- wide

:27:51. > :27:54.positions. Graziano Pelle a has put too much on that pass. I thought he

:27:55. > :28:02.was excellent in the first half. Lane things off. -- laying. Five in

:28:03. > :28:10.13 for his country, late to international football.

:28:11. > :28:27.Around the corner, nicely done. Opportunity to find a white shirt,

:28:28. > :28:32.Fellaini for Belgium. You can't just play when you have the ball, you

:28:33. > :28:34.have got to defend as well. Thomas Vermaelen, onto the head of

:28:35. > :28:50.Chiellini. Came off Eden Hazard's left arm, the

:28:51. > :28:59.throw in has been given. How easy was that? Good defending at the end,

:29:00. > :29:05.but very desperate. Bonucci, showing them how to defend.

:29:06. > :29:20.-- Pelle. Will not reach that. The angles are therefore Italy to find,

:29:21. > :29:26.for the runners. Yes, those diagonals.

:29:27. > :29:33.Just got a little more involved at the end of the first half,

:29:34. > :29:42.Manchester City man, De Bruyne. He has got a great temperament, De

:29:43. > :29:46.Bruyne. The Italians will know they will not underestimate him, he will

:29:47. > :30:14.have a good spell in this match. Nicely done from Graziano Pelle.

:30:15. > :30:28.The bounce was just too much. For Antonio Candreva. It is pinning

:30:29. > :30:30.Belgium back all the time though, isn't it? No surprise to see Belgium

:30:31. > :30:54.substitutes warming up. Seen some good uses of substitutions

:30:55. > :31:33.in this tournament already. Thibaut Courtois with the time to

:31:34. > :31:52.make it comfortable. Flag up against Lukaku. Jake Colin over there.

:31:53. > :31:58.Fairly comfortable start of the second half for the Italians. You

:31:59. > :32:10.wondered if tactically they might change something, maybe bring Hazard

:32:11. > :32:15.more central, play closer to Lukaku. Only ones Antonio Conte's charge

:32:16. > :32:19.have they failed to score, that was against Portugal in the friendly.

:32:20. > :32:26.The only side to Scott Belgium from scoring since the 2014 World Cup was

:32:27. > :32:34.Wales, which they did twice in qualifying for these finals. That is

:32:35. > :33:08.what are hoping to do. -- what Italy are hoping to do.

:33:09. > :33:25.That pass by De Bruyne was almost typical of the Belgian performance.

:33:26. > :33:25.No football team can assume greatness, greatness always has to

:33:26. > :33:49.be earned. Chiellini just couldn't get away

:33:50. > :33:52.from Denayer. Here is the Tongan. It is just surprising how easy the

:33:53. > :34:00.Italians are going through the Belgian team. The screen for the

:34:01. > :34:09.Belgian midfielder is just nonexistent.

:34:10. > :34:15.Candreva in the middle... Excellent recovery. Really good recovery from

:34:16. > :34:21.the Tongan but look how annoyed he is. Rightly so, there is so much

:34:22. > :34:26.time in the middle of the park. It is a great challenge, he has come

:34:27. > :34:38.from nowhere to make that, risking everything. Great defending.

:34:39. > :34:51.Candreva with a corner kick for Italy, half cleared by Simon.

:34:52. > :35:07.That is a lovely weighted ball, brilliant from De Bruyne. Is this

:35:08. > :35:15.Lukaku's moment? No, it is not. As good as we have seen all day from

:35:16. > :35:21.Belgium. It is a fantastic break, De Bruyne, just that touch out of his

:35:22. > :35:31.feet. A very difficult angle for him off that left foot, tries to further

:35:32. > :35:39.it into the goal. Just didn't hit it with any real conviction. For a

:35:40. > :35:45.player of that quality, he should be hitting the back of the net. It was

:35:46. > :35:55.wide enough from the Italian point of view. That wasn't a very good

:35:56. > :36:03.clearance. Candreva. Pelle denied by Thibaut Courtois. He beat the ground

:36:04. > :36:08.in frustration. That is goalkeeping of the highest order, isn't it?

:36:09. > :36:17.Buffon said he set the benchmark, he did it with that save the there. The

:36:18. > :36:32.game is opening up. Hazard skips away from Candreva, feeds

:36:33. > :36:37.Nainggolan. This could be an excellent second half. Jan

:36:38. > :37:01.Vertonghen for Belgium. Jan Vertonghen is claiming handball

:37:02. > :37:05.off the Italian but no intent. The key for the goalkeeper, Buffon, was

:37:06. > :37:13.to get that moving. The Italians in the past would have hung on to that.

:37:14. > :37:14.Here comes Chiellini. Still Chiellini, defended by Simon,

:37:15. > :37:52.cleanly won. Going for it now. Yes. Eden Hazard

:37:53. > :37:59.on the turn did well. Buffon treated it with respect and it needed it.

:38:00. > :38:12.Good goalkeeping, stinging shot. He twists and turns, Hazard. Screaming

:38:13. > :38:14.at his team-mates. That is what it takes, a wake-up call, and they have

:38:15. > :38:52.got to sustain that. Good run that, Lukaku. Poor control.

:38:53. > :39:01.That ball has to stick. Pelle is doing it for Italy. Behind off the

:39:02. > :39:05.header. Belgium have a corner and they are beginning to cause Buffon

:39:06. > :39:16.and company some really tangible difficulties now. Barzagli there,

:39:17. > :39:25.difficult ball to deal with. They are being tested now. De Bruyne with

:39:26. > :39:39.this corner kick. I think Fellaini is the man being penalised again, on

:39:40. > :39:56.Chiellini this time. Thibaut Courtois's save is just outstanding,

:39:57. > :40:01.isn't it? Look how high he has got. The player is coming off for Italy,

:40:02. > :40:22.a slight delay because the official put the wrong number up. De Sciglio

:40:23. > :40:35.is coming on, the man from the land. -- from Milan. Good ball up by

:40:36. > :40:42.Candreva, really dangerous. Tremendous down the right-hand side

:40:43. > :40:47.on his day. He is asking a lot of questions of the Tongan. Keeps

:40:48. > :41:08.putting the ball in the box. Defend this.

:41:09. > :41:43.Caught two minds a little. That is a flaying clearance from Vermaelen.

:41:44. > :41:53.Just controlling things, Italy, not really being pressed. Eder tried to

:41:54. > :41:59.run in behind. Excellent game of football now. That is great the way

:42:00. > :42:06.he takes that fall there, better defending this time. Good movement,

:42:07. > :42:18.long ball down the middle. They have such a good start to the season,

:42:19. > :42:35.Eder, before moving on to Inter. Not so effective there. Again, there is

:42:36. > :43:11.no screen. In to Pelle, just too simple. No foul.

:43:12. > :43:28.That's dangerous. Chiellini dealt with it. Substitute will become a

:43:29. > :43:33.non-shortly for Belgium and it is Nainggolan coming off. There is no

:43:34. > :43:53.surprise there, he has hardly been in the game.

:43:54. > :44:05.Little under half an hour to go. The Belgian corner headed out by De

:44:06. > :44:14.Rossi and headed out well. Eden Hazard. That is nicely done. De

:44:15. > :44:20.Bruyne, too far in front of Lukaku. Just a heavy cross, there is too

:44:21. > :44:32.much on it. Couldn't control it. I think Merton 's is coming out to

:44:33. > :44:45.play on this left-hand side. -- Mertens. I would have thought, if

:44:46. > :44:49.you are looking for a goal and you can play Hazard as a number ten,

:44:50. > :45:15.then you would, in preference to Fellaini.

:45:16. > :45:25.I think the back career are quite happy to see Hazard playing that far

:45:26. > :45:36.back by his defence. Here is Mertens.

:45:37. > :45:40.Lukaku became Everton 's top scorer in the season for 30 years in the

:45:41. > :45:53.campaign just finished. That did looks suspiciously like

:45:54. > :45:59.handball by Marco Parolo, but play goes on. Jan Vertonghen may squeeze

:46:00. > :46:04.in a pass, he has done. But no movement in the box, does not seem

:46:05. > :46:07.to exhibit the same desire, as the Italians, they are really flying

:46:08. > :46:33.into the box when they have an attack.

:46:34. > :46:45.Nicely done by Marco Parolo. Giaccherini coming in as well.

:46:46. > :46:51.Header by Ciman and it has found its way back to Giaccherini. Chiellini,

:46:52. > :46:55.now. The two front players for Italy, it is amazing, the space they

:46:56. > :47:00.are getting. Mistake by Chiellini... Pulled back. That is going to be a

:47:01. > :47:07.yellow card. Without any question at all.

:47:08. > :47:16.Professional foul. Wasn't going to be catching as are their -- wasn't

:47:17. > :47:28.going to be catching Hazard there. Just drifted wide, now looking to

:47:29. > :47:54.cut inside. Vertonghen. Mertens. He has not had the best

:47:55. > :48:03.night so far. He's wearing somebody else's boots tonight. The

:48:04. > :48:36.Getting good support from behind the goal, Belgium.

:48:37. > :48:43.Pelle has just gone off the pitch. I think he has dislocated something.

:48:44. > :48:51.They are... Trying to put his finger back in! Mertens! Trying to do too

:48:52. > :49:00.much, maybe, could not wriggle through them all. Eden Hazard. Italy

:49:01. > :49:07.down to ten men with Graziano Pelle I off the pitch. I'm not sure that

:49:08. > :49:13.he realised he was off the pitch, De Rossi, eager for the ball to go out

:49:14. > :49:16.of play, Italy will want to get Graziano Pelle a back on, his

:49:17. > :49:23.finger, maybe his thumb, it has been relocated. De Rossi could not find a

:49:24. > :49:28.way out, wanted to put it out of play. He has dislocated his

:49:29. > :49:32.finger... That is quite a painful one. I have had bad. One of those

:49:33. > :49:48.look away now moments. Asks the doctor if it hurts, he

:49:49. > :49:52.says, of course! A chance for Italy to regroup, get a drink, stick to

:49:53. > :49:58.the plan. No way through, good defending.

:49:59. > :50:05.Italy were unbeaten in qualifying for Euro 2016, they are unbeaten in

:50:06. > :50:11.qualifying for World Cup and European Championships matches in

:50:12. > :50:19.ten years! 50 matches since 2006 and is anybody beat them in qualifying.

:50:20. > :50:30.Eden Hazard, might make something of this.

:50:31. > :50:38.Fellaini, could not reach it, Chiellini stood his ground.

:50:39. > :50:46.Interesting to see how the Italians cope with Fellaini. Renowned for

:50:47. > :50:52.being good in the air, great defending, uses his body, price the

:50:53. > :50:56.goal. -- prize him away from the goal. The final ball has got to be

:50:57. > :51:17.better, made a better run this time. Suddenly filled with a wave of

:51:18. > :51:52.optimism. Just caught by Mertens. We will find

:51:53. > :52:02.out in a minute who is going to come off Ford Divock Origi. -- come off

:52:03. > :52:09.for Divock Origi. Just hit form for Liverpool in the spring when he got

:52:10. > :52:13.injured in the Merseyside derby. Came back in to appear as a late

:52:14. > :52:18.substitute in the Europa League final. All these stoppages, stopping

:52:19. > :52:24.Belgium from gaining any momentum in the match. Straight pass, straight

:52:25. > :52:49.into the front man. Candreva. Marshalling, patrolling, Barzagli.

:52:50. > :52:56.In front of the back three, for Italy. Just sits there, ticking

:52:57. > :53:08.along. He knows his role in the team. As everyone them does. -- as

:53:09. > :53:21.every one of them does. They work really well off each other.

:53:22. > :53:33.Witsel, to Mertens. Lukaku's touch not good enough. They will not give

:53:34. > :53:39.you a moments peace, those defenders.

:53:40. > :53:54.At the back post, with Hazard, but Italy very aware of it. He has come

:53:55. > :54:08.on, I don't know why he has not been on from the start, perfect start. --

:54:09. > :54:14.swap. Evoke the really coming on for Belgium, Lukaku coming. -- Divock

:54:15. > :54:24.Origi coming on for Belgium. One big chance for Romelu Lukaku. Did not

:54:25. > :54:29.take it. So disappointing. Do not underestimate Divock Origi, massive

:54:30. > :54:34.improvement since Jurgen Klopp has been at the ball. Maybe lost some

:54:35. > :54:43.sharpness, he got injured for a while, but he will test these

:54:44. > :55:02.defenders. Thomas Vermaelen forward. Buffon.

:55:03. > :55:13.Well won. Candreva in a chase with the tongue. -- Vertonghen.

:55:14. > :55:25.Danger. Giaccherini, deflection, corner, corner to Italy. Italy

:55:26. > :55:31.edging ever closer. Candreva is out here, spellbound, runs made off the

:55:32. > :55:41.midfield. Simple. Giaccherini pulled his shot in the end. Ciro Immobile

:55:42. > :55:53.will be on shortly, for Italy, but they have a corner first. Clear out

:55:54. > :56:03.by Axel Witsel, helped on by Laurent Ciman. Dries Mertens, pulled back.

:56:04. > :56:14.Rather like Chiellini's a free moments ago, easy decision.

:56:15. > :56:23.He has taken one for his team. It is almost like tactical bookings,

:56:24. > :56:27.slowing everything down. Having been booked, he will be replaced. That

:56:28. > :56:41.will be the last thing he does tonight. No complaints for that, he

:56:42. > :56:45.has played exceptionally well. Belgium making their change as well,

:56:46. > :56:50.bringing on Yannick Carrasco, Ciro Immobile has come on for Italy.

:56:51. > :56:53.Laurent Ciman goes off, Yannick Carrasco, replacing a full-back, he

:56:54. > :57:10.is a winner. -- winger. Didn't he school recently, when he

:57:11. > :57:12.came on as a sub? Scored for Atletico Madrid, in the Champions

:57:13. > :57:22.League final, which they ultimately lost.

:57:23. > :57:40.De Bruyne, Divock Origi... Good persistence. Just take it away from

:57:41. > :57:46.Mertens. This will be a fascinating last 15 minutes. Good play from

:57:47. > :57:52.Divock Origi, better run from him as well, which started it all.

:57:53. > :58:02.Alderweireld, for Belgium. Mertens, straight to Chiellini. Ciro

:58:03. > :58:41.Immobile, after it. Vertonghen. Thiago Motta is going to be Italy's

:58:42. > :58:53.last change, coming thick and fast, the substitutions.

:58:54. > :59:02.Lovely backheel from Giaccherini. He has played well, Giaccherini.

:59:03. > :59:07.Extremely well. On the left-hand side, coming on to his right foot.

:59:08. > :59:19.Saying that, he gives it away. Divock Origi now. He has been

:59:20. > :59:24.called, Bonucci, yellow card. -- caught Another tactical booking.

:59:25. > :59:33.He has played well. Bonucci has been terrific. Divock Origi a little too

:59:34. > :59:44.quick, he is giving Belgium something else, something extra.

:59:45. > :59:50.Chiellini and the need she need to be careful now, they are both on

:59:51. > :59:53.yellow cards. -- Bonucci. De Rossi is coming off. Thiago Motta is

:59:54. > :00:23.coming on. De Bruyne with the free kick, and

:00:24. > :00:26.Buffon with a very confident take. Using his experience there, I love

:00:27. > :00:33.to see the keepers coming and taking it. Marc Wilmots has made good use

:00:34. > :00:49.of his squad. You cannot argue with the team

:00:50. > :01:09.selection. Tremendous by Parolo. He has been

:01:10. > :01:48.everywhere as well. Given away. De Bruyne has a little bit of room,

:01:49. > :02:03.but not as much as he needed. Thiago Motta closed the door. Look at the

:02:04. > :02:12.passion he has. Chiellini, well timed on Divock Origi. They are

:02:13. > :02:20.going to have to not give the ball away, Italy, otherwise Belgium will

:02:21. > :02:27.come and come. The high ball to Fellaini might become more of a

:02:28. > :02:39.feature in the closing moments. Too straight, deflected though. Corner.

:02:40. > :02:46.It is a slender lead that Italy have. Merton is with this corner

:02:47. > :03:03.kick for Belgium. -- Mertens. Italy are losing their discipline

:03:04. > :03:25.little bit, becoming panicky. I get the feeling this might be

:03:26. > :03:37.along last ten minutes for Italy. Corner again.

:03:38. > :03:56.Back in by De Bruyne! And Divock Origi behind him. For once the

:03:57. > :04:06.Italian switching off, too much space. Just a glance, he gets too

:04:07. > :04:27.much on it. Buffon tells his defence, look around you, pick-up.

:04:28. > :04:40.He has done well to get up from that challenge.

:04:41. > :04:49.Hazard, who the Italians fought they have backed him into a corner, Eden

:04:50. > :05:15.Hazard, but illegally in the opinion of Mark Clattenburg.

:05:16. > :05:25.Has out by Thiago Motta and he gets a yellow card. It is time to start

:05:26. > :05:29.sending these Belgium full-backs forward. I cannot believe they

:05:30. > :05:32.haven't started pushing forward at this stage of the game. The free

:05:33. > :05:54.kick taken quickly. Over Chiellini, Divock Origi tried

:05:55. > :06:09.the acrobatic. Fellaini is going mad at the post. Brilliant stop from

:06:10. > :06:15.Thibaut Courtois. Ignoring Pelle to his right hand side. Looks like he's

:06:16. > :06:23.hanging in the air, this goalkeeper. Majestic save. They have had their

:06:24. > :06:27.chances, Italy, but they might pay. There is danger for Belgium, they

:06:28. > :06:38.could lose another one trying to get one back.

:06:39. > :06:47.Put out by Divock Origi for another Italian corner.

:06:48. > :07:07.Thibaut Courtois is there, Parolo was sniffing. I cannot believe Pelle

:07:08. > :07:29.is getting to that ball at all. Basic defending.

:07:30. > :07:47.He has got to get that ball in, Hazard. Queueing up in the box.

:07:48. > :07:58.Turning this way and that. Alderweireld, Origi... Relief for

:07:59. > :08:15.Italy. I thought it was a better save than

:08:16. > :08:28.that, he makes it look so dramatic the way he flies through the air. It

:08:29. > :08:43.was a hard in the mouth moment. -- heart in the mouth moment. Eden

:08:44. > :08:49.Hazard, Bonucci back on his feet. Alderweireld got their ahead of

:08:50. > :09:08.Barzagli. Can Fellaini get on the end of one

:09:09. > :09:13.of these corners? Mark Clattenburg's whistle puts everything on hold

:09:14. > :09:17.because Chiellini and Fellaini have been getting involved with each

:09:18. > :09:31.other, which will be a surprise to absolutely no one. He has got his

:09:32. > :09:38.arms around his throat. The referee will keep his eyes on that. In comes

:09:39. > :09:45.the corner kick. Didn't quite get the flick he was looking for and

:09:46. > :09:53.Italy on the break once again. Immobile couldn't quite get it

:09:54. > :09:58.through, De Bruyne had retreated. That is a goal kick to Belgium.

:09:59. > :10:04.There is still time, not a lot but there is still time. The Italians

:10:05. > :10:13.just keep giving a taste on the break. They have been so composed,

:10:14. > :10:17.so disciplined for so long, Italy, that their composure has just

:10:18. > :10:22.wobbled a little bit in the last few minutes. Belgium sensing there might

:10:23. > :10:31.be something in this for them just yet. It is going to take something

:10:32. > :10:49.special. They have got the players to do it.

:10:50. > :10:56.Lovely little drop of the shoulder, Mertens still in a brilliant

:10:57. > :11:09.position. About the only position where there wasn't a red and black

:11:10. > :11:14.shirt. Origi mystic, Fellaini missed it, and Buffon ends up with the ball

:11:15. > :11:22.in his gloves and treats it like a newborn baby. Great ball in. Origi,

:11:23. > :11:27.how has he missed that? He was almost trying too hard to get too

:11:28. > :11:35.much power on it. Fellaini, you cannot blame him, it has just come

:11:36. > :11:49.up so quickly. Thiago Motta for Italy. Heading for the corner flag,

:11:50. > :11:53.possibly following instructions from Immobile, but he has not got what he

:11:54. > :12:04.wanted. We are about to move into added time.

:12:05. > :12:23.It would be harsh on Italy but it doesn't mean to say it won't happen.

:12:24. > :12:32.Italy have been excellent, just got to finish off the job now. Mertens,

:12:33. > :12:43.that is a lovely wriggling run a moment ago. Parolo, brilliant

:12:44. > :12:54.defending. The referee says play on. The free kick has been awarded.

:12:55. > :13:06.And a yellow card for Jan Vertonghen. For his reaction. The

:13:07. > :13:16.first Belgian yellow card of the game. Their frustration in these

:13:17. > :13:27.closing seconds grows because they have got to get the ball now. If

:13:28. > :13:34.they had controlled that, Belgium might not have seen the ball again

:13:35. > :13:39.before the whistle went. Bonucci has got cramp as well, could hardly pull

:13:40. > :13:52.his leg back but still a great strike from him. Here is Giaccherini

:13:53. > :14:03.again. The Jack in the box, Giaccherini. Pelle might go alone,

:14:04. > :14:12.finds Candreva... Must be now, and it is! From Pelle, it is 2-0 to

:14:13. > :14:21.Italy. Wonderful, wonderful Italian victory! And a king-size

:14:22. > :14:41.celebration. You know it is a special moment when

:14:42. > :14:46.a man like Buffon, who has done absolutely everything in the game,

:14:47. > :14:52.runs the length of the field to join in the celebrations. How about this

:14:53. > :14:57.for a finish. Icing on the cake. Perfect professional performance

:14:58. > :15:05.from Italy, and what about that for a finish. Kept it down nicely. Made

:15:06. > :15:13.it look easy. He has missed one or two in this game, Pelle, but oh boy,

:15:14. > :15:22.he took that all right. Mark Clattenburg has blown his whistle.

:15:23. > :15:28.Italy top Group E and Belgium are bottom of it. Who would have thought

:15:29. > :15:36.that? Wonderful Italian display, capped off by the Pelle goal in

:15:37. > :15:44.added time, after Giaccherini had given them the lead in the first

:15:45. > :15:46.half. Belgium, disappointing. Italy, excellent, and the celebrations from

:15:47. > :16:06.Italy will go a long into the night. STUDIO: Roll out Italy at your

:16:07. > :16:09.peril, low expectations coming into the tournament, great opening-day

:16:10. > :16:13.victory against Belgium, and overall, you have to say, they

:16:14. > :16:21.deserve it, counterattack staff at the end to make it 2-0, Luca, you

:16:22. > :16:25.are delighted, I can tell. I am very happy, I do not want to brag too

:16:26. > :16:29.much, I say this only once, because it is the opening game, you have got

:16:30. > :16:33.to play another six games before you win this, but I think that today we

:16:34. > :16:39.were incredibly impressive, we were almost perfect. I thought that we

:16:40. > :16:42.dominated the game, and the organisation, the discipline, the

:16:43. > :16:46.desire, the commitments... We played like a team, we had so many options

:16:47. > :16:53.when we were in possession, we defended very well, unlike Belgium,

:16:54. > :16:58.we really looked like a good team. Perfect example of seeing one team

:16:59. > :17:00.that plays like a team, a unit, structural organisation, and a

:17:01. > :17:05.collection of individuals. They were undone completely, whenever somebody

:17:06. > :17:08.got the ball in the Italian team, they understand where to go on the

:17:09. > :17:11.pitch, they know exactly the direction of where they wanted to

:17:12. > :17:16.go, taking the ball forward. What I was impressed with, the ability to

:17:17. > :17:23.spring from defence to attack so quickly, and create chances. One of

:17:24. > :17:27.the things for me, which Antonio Conte has brought to the team, is

:17:28. > :17:32.discipline, intensity, they all know what they need to do. Defensively.

:17:33. > :17:36.As a player, when you know what you have to do, when you have the ball,

:17:37. > :17:42.you know that you have the option to play short, wide, ten, nine, you are

:17:43. > :17:46.so much more comfortable when you have options like that, when you

:17:47. > :17:49.know you have them. Sometimes even at the back, when they should clear

:17:50. > :17:51.the ball, they were bringing it down and passing the ball, because they

:17:52. > :18:00.know that they have options. STUDIO: Italy top the group,

:18:01. > :18:05.Republic of Ireland and Sweden both off the mark following their draw.

:18:06. > :18:18.Group favourites Belgium are bottom. Unusual to see an Italian side with

:18:19. > :18:24.a one goal lead but still trying to get forward, playing open at times.

:18:25. > :18:28.The biggest mistake we could have made was to start defending too deep

:18:29. > :18:33.and allow the pressure to build up. In fairness, Belgium had a couple of

:18:34. > :18:36.chances, but I thought that we never lost our heads, we kept defending

:18:37. > :18:43.properly, we kept counterattacking. We had a game plan, we executed it

:18:44. > :18:48.very well. The first goal, Italy's first goal, went to Giaccherini,

:18:49. > :18:52.terrific bit of play. Terrific bit of play, if you run in behind, the

:18:53. > :18:59.timing is right, the guy that gives you the ball, then at times it is

:19:00. > :19:04.impossible to defend. I suppose you could say... Perhaps he could have

:19:05. > :19:06.done something better... What you think about Alderweireld, his first

:19:07. > :19:12.reaction after he turns around, the ball hits him, his reaction is,

:19:13. > :19:16.where is the full-back? He has got to be tight to him, that visual

:19:17. > :19:20.security. All back coming in, as your team is coming out slowly, you

:19:21. > :19:24.cannot have that. Both of them could have had positioned a bit better. I

:19:25. > :19:31.think what happened, Rio, we played the ball to the feet of Pelle, then

:19:32. > :19:35.we played it wide for ten minutes, so at that point, nobody was

:19:36. > :19:39.expecting that, options. It was a great spin, we had to wait and all

:19:40. > :19:46.fully long time for the second goal, it went to Pelle. Vein the ball

:19:47. > :19:54.through the lines, Belgian chasing at this stage. Goes in, patience,

:19:55. > :19:59.calm, this is beautiful technique. Reminds me of myself... (!) in your

:20:00. > :20:02.dreams! LAUGHTER Beautiful, typified the Italian

:20:03. > :20:06.performance, counter attack, calm, cool, collected, they knew what they

:20:07. > :20:10.were doing and they were very assured... The most assured

:20:11. > :20:16.performance I have seen, alongside probably the Germans. I would put

:20:17. > :20:21.Spain along with that, the control they had on the ball, but also with

:20:22. > :20:25.Germany, killing a team at the end. They were in control of the game.

:20:26. > :20:29.Belgium had a couple of chances to go back into it, we have seen the

:20:30. > :20:34.guys doing this type of folly, time and time again and scoring. Clearly

:20:35. > :20:40.talking about a team, there is a togetherness. I love that! It is the

:20:41. > :20:44.first game of the tournament, they are celebrating like they have one!

:20:45. > :20:47.That would have killed me if I saw them doing that in front of me but

:20:48. > :20:51.also I would have said to myself, you know what, that is a great

:20:52. > :20:57.togetherness, they deserve to win, good on them. The goalkeeper got a

:20:58. > :21:01.nose bleed on the first goal! LAUGHTER

:21:02. > :21:05.That is how they are enjoying it. They have a plan, I love how they

:21:06. > :21:09.played. Belgium overall struggled, one or two chances towards the end,

:21:10. > :21:13.made more of a fist of its towards the latter stages, you do not want

:21:14. > :21:26.to concentrate on someone who has had a poor night but Lukaku was

:21:27. > :21:33.abject. He plays well, rightly so. As ever so well on that. He should

:21:34. > :21:37.have been on that, it should have been one-on-one comedy

:21:38. > :21:44.-- should have been one-on-one, De Bruyne is upset about it. Here he

:21:45. > :21:49.has the chance that he wanted. Again, De Bruyne gives him the ball,

:21:50. > :21:54.and he wants to go under the ball... We can see on the replay, the last

:21:55. > :21:59.one, he'd is not... He does not really go under it, to lift it and

:22:00. > :22:05.he misses it. At times, he was passive... His back to the game.

:22:06. > :22:18.You have got to do too much if you want to create problems for the back

:22:19. > :22:21.three... Bonucci, as Ali, -- bizarrely, they are not the best

:22:22. > :22:42.individually, but together they are great, they are not Maldini. --

:22:43. > :22:48.Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini. They love defending, they cover it

:22:49. > :22:52.other's back. I stand by what I have said, the whole is much bigger than

:22:53. > :23:00.the sum of its parts. Playing with two at the back they can be

:23:01. > :23:04.vulnerable, but three of them? The Italians love defending. They get so

:23:05. > :23:06.excited about their defending, and you are a striker! What is wrong

:23:07. > :23:13.with you? LAUGHTER Today, they were first rate. Divock

:23:14. > :23:19.Origi came on, we saw him coming on for Romelu Lukaku, he certainly got

:23:20. > :23:25.occasions to score, but he could not finish it off. Seems like someone

:23:26. > :23:30.who is a rough diamond, but he has energy, new moves, and as soon as he

:23:31. > :23:35.came on, you saw a little bit more industriousness in the way that the

:23:36. > :23:41.blade. It was more than what we saw of Romelu Lukaku in the whole game.

:23:42. > :23:43.This little cameo. Great feat here. When the chances... This is where

:23:44. > :23:48.he's really good, when the chances come his way he can be a little bit

:23:49. > :23:51.rash. You have got to guide this through. I am no striker but just

:23:52. > :24:09.guided The way they finished the game, that

:24:10. > :24:18.line-up was better, stronger, more balanced. The way that Belgium

:24:19. > :24:23.finished. I think that Hazard struggles to defend at times. He

:24:24. > :24:26.does, generally. If you play him as a ten, give him something of a

:24:27. > :24:33.shield behind him, with a couple of guys, Mertens, free role, De Bruyne

:24:34. > :24:41.perhaps. This is the guy that is going to make you win. He likes to

:24:42. > :24:47.face the game. He can face the full-back and it can be one-on-one.

:24:48. > :24:52.With Antonio Conte going to Chelsea next year, if he does not run, he

:24:53. > :24:56.will be out. Judging by the weather the Italians ran for each other,

:24:57. > :25:08.yes. We thought that Belgium lacked any real width. If you stand in

:25:09. > :25:14.front of me, I think even I can defend(!) the Italians wanted this,

:25:15. > :25:17.they can do this, all night, although, all tournament, look at

:25:18. > :25:21.this on the other side. You have got to move the back three, they become

:25:22. > :25:27.a back five, almost, you have got to move them, and you create spaces

:25:28. > :25:32.within the box with the width. And Lukaku and Hazard and Divock Origi

:25:33. > :25:38.can run into it. Defend the box. You have to be the perfect shot from

:25:39. > :25:41.outside the box to score. I used to get mad at the bosses in training

:25:42. > :25:45.because they did not give us the width to work on defence and I would

:25:46. > :25:48.say, what are you doing, in the game you can never play like that but

:25:49. > :25:51.that is how Belgium played, you could have taken that away and that

:25:52. > :25:59.away. They made the pitch too narrow. Bad coaching? It must be

:26:00. > :26:02.instructions? I think it is difficult when you have players like

:26:03. > :26:06.that, managing to find the right balance between discipline and

:26:07. > :26:08.freedom. It seems to me that with Belgium, too much freedom and not

:26:09. > :26:15.enough discipline. Here is what is coming up in the

:26:16. > :26:19.next two days, Cristiano Ronaldo enters the stage tomorrow.

:26:20. > :26:25.On Wednesday, England and Wales will be watching on intensely, as there

:26:26. > :26:29.are group opponents Russia and Slovakia meet in Lille. And then it

:26:30. > :26:40.is the big one. I must ask this of you, England,

:26:41. > :26:55.what shall we see? The promise, and only that? Of ancients turned grey?

:26:56. > :27:04.Still the shackles, the Irons. Rise, like lions.

:27:05. > :27:11.Looking forward to that one, England against Wales is on Thursday, the

:27:12. > :27:17.most eagerly anticipated game in the group stages. Well, in Britain,

:27:18. > :27:22.anyway, live on the BBC, 1pm. And then it is BBC One, all the way from

:27:23. > :27:26.1:30pm, if you are in work, you can watch it on the BBC sport website or

:27:27. > :27:33.app, get permission first, obviously! We are pretty much out of

:27:34. > :27:45.time, I trust you are taking us all out to dinner. Thank you very much.

:27:46. > :27:47.That is it from us, Italy have won their first European Championship

:27:48. > :27:53.opening game for 16 years, this Antonio Conte seems to know what he

:27:54. > :28:01.is doing, somebody should snap him up(!) COMMENTATOR: This is a big

:28:02. > :28:26.head to head, this is a big one. Giaccherini is in! He scores! He did

:28:27. > :28:35.not hesitate. Beaten in the air, free header. He has put it wide. Is

:28:36. > :28:43.this the moment for Lukaku? It is not... No football team can assume

:28:44. > :28:48.greatness, it must always be earned. Must be and it is, Graziano Pelle,

:28:49. > :28:53.2-0, Italy! Wonderful Their own war heroes are arming

:28:54. > :28:58.themselves to march on the palace.