UNL | Belgium 4-1 Italy: Poor Azzurri crash back to earth in Brussels
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - NOVEMBER 15: Jeremy Doku of Belgium scores his team’s third goal during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Belgium and Italy at King Baudouin Stadium on November 15, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Italy had gone in front through Pio Esposito, but crumbled in Brussels to a 4-1 defeat against Belgium and their Nations League campaign ends here with third place, missing another penalty in the process.
The Azzurri started Roberto Mancini’s second era with a 2-0 home defeat to Belgium on September 25, but seven weeks later were top of the group after a 1-1 draw in Paris and 3-1 victory over France on Thursday, needing only a point to be sure of quarter-final qualification. Sebastiano Esposito, Davide Frattesi and Nicolò Cambiaghi started at San Siro, but were out of action here, so Luca Koleosho and Niccolò Pisilli stepped into the trident attack, while Niccolò Fagioli entered the midfield.
Belgium had Romelu Lukaku back on the bench after injury ruled him out of the 2-1 win in Turkiye, and Romeo Lavia’s ban expired, but started Atalanta striker Charles De Ketelaere and Milan’s Diego Moreira, with Napoli midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
See how it all unfolded on the Liveblog.
Italy had a big double chance on seven minutes, as Sam Lammens got down at the near post to parry Fagioli’s finish on a Riccardo Calafiori lay-off, and parried the Pisilli follow-up from close range too.
Gianluigi Donnarumma made a crucial save on the De Bruyne free kick and the mad scramble in the six-yard box from Brandon Mechele and Nathan Ngoy, then as the Azzurri cleared to go on the counter, they took the lead with Pio Esposito at full stretch between two defenders to prod in the Michael Kayode low cross from the right. It was the 21-year-old’s 10th goal in just 15 senior caps.
Belgium equalised when De Bruyne’s strike from the edge of the box was deflected into the path of Timothy Castagne at the back post, De Ketelaere scuffed it from six yards, but it fell kindly for Maxim De Cuyper to turn in.
The hosts turned it around on their first corner of the game from De Bruyne, as Donnarumma parried the Mechele header, but could do little as Ngoy fired the rebound into the roof of the net from five yards.
They surged into a 3-1 lead within minutes, as De Ketelaere’s back-heel flick found Jeremy Doku on the edge of the area, who dribbled through a crowd of Italy shirts to fire into the far bottom corner, despite Donnarumma getting a hand to it.
Donnarumma made himself big at the near post to deny De Bruyne after a strong run down the left, then was at full stretch on the Doku effort from distance.
Alessandro Bastoni’s horrible pass inside his own penalty area gifted it to De Bruyne, but Donnarumma came to his rescue by somehow palming it onto the inside of the far post from point-blank range.
Milan’s Diego Moreira flashed a ball across the face of goal with nobody to tap in, while Pisilli’s header swung just wide on a Sandro Tonali cross.
Federico Dimarco and Issa Doumbia had been tipped to start, and came on for the second half in place of Fagioli and Pisilli, with Doumbia almost immediately seeing his effort deflected over from a Luca Koleosho cross.
Dimarco also had an attempt charged down and Bastoni got back to prevent the Doku counter-attack on the same move, while De Bruyne drilled inches wide from the edge of the box.
De Ketelaere’s header clipped the top of the crossbar on another corner, while Milan talent Alphadjo Cisse was given his senior Italy debut.
Donnarumma denied De Bruyne again after running onto a lucky Doumbia ricochet, with Pio Esposito helping the defence on the Youri Tielemans overhead kick from another corner.
De Cuyper had penalty appeals, but stopped to appeal the moment he felt a Bastoni arm across him rather than go clear on goal, wasting the opportunity.
Milan winger Moreira’s curler was just wide of the far post, but just as Italy had penalty appeals for an Antonio Vergara shot charged down by Mechele’s arm, Belgium struck on the counter with De Bruyne laying it off for Moreira.
Donnarumma was booked for dissent and will be suspended for the next Azzurri match, but Mechele’s arm was flush to the body, so it was not a penalty.
Cisse couldn’t keep the header on target from a Marco Palestra cross, then the debutant also curled just wide of the far top corner, but VAR saw this was due to a deflection off Raskin’s hand. Pio Esposito stepped up, but his central penalty was parried by Lammens, with Doumbia firing the rebound over.
Doumbia also had the ball in the net for the last kick of the game, but was a long way offside.
P Esposito 11 (I), De Cuyper 15 (B), Ngoy 22 (B), Doku 26 (B), Moreira 81 (B)
Saved penalty: Pio Esposito 92 (I)
1st half
| 11' |  |
Pio Esposito (Assist: Michael Kayode) | ||
| Maxim De Cuyper (Assist: Charles De Ketelaere) |
15' | |||
| Nathan Ngoy | 22' | |||
| Jérémy Doku (Assist: Charles De Ketelaere) |
26' | |||
| 45+1' |  |
Sandro Tonali |
2nd half
| 51' | Giorgio Scalvini | |||
| Diego Moreira (Assist: Kevin De Bruyne) |
80' | |||
| 81' | Gianluigi Donnarumma | |||
| 90+1' |  |
Pio Esposito |
BEL
ITA
1
Goalkeeper
4
Defender
5
Defender
15
Defender
87'
21
Defender
7
Midfielder
87'
6
Midfielder
76'
8
Midfielder
17
Attacker
19
Attacker
87'
11
Attacker
90'
1
Goalkeeper
6
Defender
3
Defender
62'
2
Defender
5
Defender
16
Midfielder
46'
18
Midfielder
10
Midfielder
46'
8
Midfielder
62'
9
Attacker
23
Attacker
76'
9
Attacker
20
Midfielder
12
Goalkeeper
9
Attacker
2
Defender
13
Goalkeeper
18
Defender
23
Midfielder
76'
3
Defender
87'
10
Attacker
87'
14
Attacker
87'
22
Attacker
90'
13
Goalkeeper
20
Attacker
12
Goalkeeper
22
Defender
4
Defender
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