Marco Verratti has praised the work ethic of his teammates after Italy defeated Belgium 2-1 in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder assisted in the Azzurri’s opening goal for Nicolo Barella but he also complimented his Belgian counterpart Kevin De Bruyne and his talents.
“We are happy because we work hard to achieve these goals,” Verratti said to RAI Sport.
“Today our goal was to reach the semifinals, we met a great team, and we played the game openly. We deserved this victory.
“De Bruyne is a fantastic player who is proving to be one of the strongest in his role. We pressed hard and did not let Belgium think, and this allowed us to create opportunities.”
Italy will play against Spain in the semi-finals on Tuesday evening and Verratti is confident that Coach Roberto Mancini will get his preparation right.
“We are always optimistic,” Verratti said.
“We have this kind of game thanks to the coach. The result can change, it is difficult to decide the result before playing a game.
“We will try to give our best and see where it takes us.”
