Raspadori: ‘Incredible’ Italy didn’t win with 3 goals in Germany

DORTMUND, GERMANY – MARCH 23: Giacomo Raspadori of Italy scores his team’s third goal from the penalty spot during the UEFA Nations League Quarterfinal Leg Two match between Germany and Italy at Football Stadium Dortmund on March 23, 2025 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images for DFB)

Giacomo Raspadori feels it is ‘incredible’ Italy scored three times in Germany and still didn’t win, but admits the first half performance was unacceptable. ‘We cannot concede those goals.’

The Azzurri knew that it was already going to be extremely difficult to go through after losing the first leg 2-1, but it became downright impossible following a disastrous first half performance in Dortmund.

They were trailing 3-0 to a Joshua Kimmich penalty, Jamal Musiala tapping into an empty net on a quick corner and the usual Tim Kleindienst header.

It was a totally different match after the restart, Moise Kean’s brace and a Raspadori spot-kick completing the comeback for 3-3, but they still went out of the Nations League quarter-final 5-4 on aggregate.

Raspadori has Italy regret in Dortmund

“There is huge disappointment, because scoring three goals here and not bringing home the victory or forcing extra time is incredible,” Raspadori told RAI Sport.

“We also feel disappointed at that penalty incident that was given and then taken away. We have to rebuild from the reaction, but cannot afford to have these dips in concentration.”

While Raspadori converted the penalty in stoppages, Italy had been awarded a spot-kick earlier only for it to be revoked following a VAR review.

The decision caused a great deal of controversy in Italy, because Nico Schlotterbeck grazing the ball with a stud before crashing into Giovanni Di Lorenzo barely makes the criteria for a clear and obvious error.

“The penalty seemed clear to me from the footage, but there’s no point recriminating about it now,” added Raspadori.

The question remains, why were Italy so incredibly poor in the first half when they knew what was at stake?

“We were below par, both in terms of character and determination. We should’ve been more united and it wasn’t easy to stay sharp.

“We reacted in the best way after the break. This is a strong team, we cannot concede three goals like that,” continued Raspadori.

“I don’t think our preparation for the match was wrong, we could’ve done more and a few incidents might’ve gone our way.

“In modern football, when the opponent is so aggressive in that high press, you need to be sharper in handling it. We had to pass it out from the back more cleanly.”

The Nations League quarter-final elimination means Italy will begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign against Norway on June 6.

They are placed in Group I along with Israel, Estonia and Moldova.

“It’s not easy right now to think about June, but we must get back to being protagonists,” concluded Raspadori.