In the first game of the first round of the knockout round of the European Cup, as the defending champion, he lost 0:2 to Switzerland, and the defending champion was declared out; In just three European Championships, all three defending champions have returned home in the first knockout round. As early as before the start of the European Cup, Mourinho bluntly said in an interview that Italy has no hope of defending the title, and Mourinho made a prophecy.
With Zaccagni's equalizing goal in the last round, Italy had the right to qualify from the group without danger; Despite being placed in the Group of Death, Italy's performance throughout the tournament was not too good. The almost gutter capsizing in the face of Albania and the complete defeat against Spain did not reflect the temperament that the defending champion should have; Coming to the knockout round, facing Switzerland, which is stable in Group A, Italy lost without temper.
Looking at the data of the whole game, the possession rate of the two sides is basically five to five, and the number of shots on goal of both sides is 16-11, with Switzerland slightly ahead; However, throughout the first half, the ratio of shots on goal between the two sides reached 10:1! Switzerland firmly suppressed Italy with relentless running and continuous passing runs from the opening period, and then broke the deadlock on the pitch in the first half by Freuler. Italy's defense was simply full of holes this time, the midfield was not only easily penetrated, the central defenders did not get up in time, and Freuler was able to calmly score in a situation where the ball was stopped.
Only 30 seconds into the second half, Switzerland gave Italy another blow, Vargas shot the world, and Donnarumma's goal was lost again; The Italian defence was equally poor this time, with Di Lorenzo failing to get in the box, Roberto Mancini again failing to get up in time, and Vargas even had a glimpse of Donnarumma's position before shooting. After Switzerland took the lead, after switching to defenders in succession and handing over possession and attacking power to Italy, the Azzurri only completed one shot on target.
It can be said that Italy's loss in this game is completely reasonable, and their performance is not a team aiming to defend the title; After the loss, Italy not only failed to defend its title, but also lost to Switzerland for the first time in 31 years. Switzerland reached the last eight of the European Championship for the second time in a row, beating France and Italy on both occasions.
Italy's exit also proved once again Mourinho's vision; Before the start of the European Championship, Mourinho first said that Portugal, England and France are all favorites; These three teams have the strength to challenge for the championship. Then Mourinho bluntly said that Italy does not have the ability to defend the title, because the Azzurri not only has an average lineup, but also has too poor creativity, technical ability and offensive power in the team, and these factors are difficult to create victory for Italy.