Inter Milan defender Matteo Darmian felt Italy had the right approach in their Euro 2024 qualifier win over North Macedonia.
The 33-year-old was one of four Nerazzurri stars in Luciano Spalletti’s starting line-up on Friday night.
Nicolo Barella, Federico Dimarco and Francesco Acerbi formed the rest of the Beneamata pack. Davide Frattesi also entered the field after the hour mark.
Nevertheless, it was Darmian who put the Azzurri on the right track by breaking the deadlock at the Olimpico Stadium in Rome.
The versatile defender sneaked behind the Macedonians to meet Giacomo Raspadori’s cross from the back post. His header skipped past the goalkeeper.
The former Man United defender now has two international goals to his name in 40 caps.
The Italians eventually won 5-2, putting down a Macedonian uprising in the second half.
This result improves Italy’s position ahead of their decisive encounter against Ukraine on Monday. A win or a draw would see the Azzurri qualify for the European Championship.
Therefore, Darmian praised Spalletti’s side for having a good approach while insisting that the team must gun for victory against Ukraine.
“We knew the importance and difficulty of the match,” said the Inter defender in his post-match interview with Sky Sport via FcInterNews.
“We had a good approach, with the right attention and the right determination. And we managed to break the deadlock early.
Inter Milan Veteran Matteo Darmian Praises The Italy Performance Vs North Macedonia
“After going ahead by three goals, we dropped our guard in the second half, but we did well to get back on the right track.
“We could have managed it better without letting them back into the game. It was important to win and we did so.
“Now we turn our attention to Ukraine. I think we should go to Germany aiming for victory.
“In the next two days, we will certainly have the opportunity to recover but also to prepare for the match in the best possible way.”
