The pitiful Azzurri were humiliated by their lackluster performance at Euro 2024, losing 2-0 to a better Switzerland team in Berlin.
It's finally over for Italy to be the European champions. Even if the Azzurri's unusually daring style of play shone brightly throughout Euro 2020, it has been challenging to watch them defend their championship in Germany.
The only silver lining to their Euro 2024 campaign was that it ended mercifully early on Saturday night when Switzerland defeated them 2-0 to earn a well-earned trip to the quarterfinals. Murat Yakin's team did this with relative ease.
The reigning champions trailed for the fourth time in four games in this tournament when Remo Frueler took advantage of nonexistent Italian tracking to give the Swiss the lead only eight minutes before halftime.
Following the break, the Swiss struck again, this time through the outstanding Ruben Vargas, who had plenty of time to find his mark and bend the ball past the entirely unguarded Gigi Donnarumma and into the upper corner of the Azzurri net.
Sport3600 assesses every player visible as Luciano Spalletti's team was humiliatingly eliminated by the Swiss, who will now play the victor of England's last-16 match against Slovakia.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, goalkeeper and defenseman (6/10):
He was the only player from Italy who could walk off the field with his head held high and made two excellent saves against Breel Embolo before being duped twice by people in front of him.
Di Lorenzo Giovanni (3/10):
His lack of speed was mercilessly revealed once more. It's incredible how much his career has fallen since leading Napoli to the Serie A championship in 2022–2023.
Mancini, Gianluca (2/10):
Stock in Riccardo Calafiori has only increased because he saw how difficult it was for his replacement to succeed him. Unfit to play against Switzerland.
4/10 for Alessandro Bastoni:
It's difficult not to feel bad for the Interman. While not at his peak, he still deserves to be surrounded by far better players.
Darmian, Matteo (4/10):
He provided less threat than a healthy Federico Dimarco (who, to be fair, we didn't see in Germany), but he was still reliable and gained a good amount of possession. Not by any means the poorest player from Italy on display, which is not saying much.
Bryan Cristante (2/10) in the midfield:
With good reason: Italian supporters were terrified when they saw the Roma player named in the starting lineup. He has a respectable passing accuracy only because he didn't take any chances. It might not have happened on the field.
Fagioli Nicolo (3/10):
It is noteworthy that he managed to make the squad despite missing most of the season due to a betting suspension. It remains a mystery why he was chosen for this role. He made a few tackles but was oblivious to the midfield runners surrounding him and frequently gave the ball away.
Barella, Nicolo (2/10):
If we're being generous, we could say that his injury precluded him from participating in this tournament and that he took a beating early on. However, in the last few games, he has destroyed the impression that he is a top-tier midfield player. He intended to be the only Italy midfield player who could find a pass and create havoc in the opponent's box. Still, he didn't contribute anything offensively—he got a booking for sheer aggravation before becoming involved halfway through the second half.
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