Roma ace Lorenzo Pellegrini talked about a set-piece routine after Italy brushed Ecuador aside with a 2-0 friendly win at the Red Bull Arena. Gli Azzurri completed their United States tour on a high following a hard-earned 2-1 triumph against Venezuela.
Pellegrini has gone from strength to strength since Daniele De Rossi replaced Jose Mourinho at the Stadio Olimpico. Fans in New Jersey witnessed a flash of the midfielder’s impressive club form as he banged in a stunning strike from outside the box to put Italy in front after only three minutes.
Inter ace Federico Dimarco was trusted to take the free kick, but when the ball bounced off the wall, Pellegrini thumped it home to open the scoring. During the post-game interview, the Italy star explained his conversation with the left-back in the build-up to the goal.
“We talked it over. It was a good spot for a left-footer, so I told Dimarco to go and score. Instead, it went a different way, but we’re happy anyway,” he told RAI Sport, as quoted by TMW.
Nicolo Barella scored deep into second-half stoppages to seal the deal for Italy. Luciano Spalletti’s men return home pleased with the results in the States. They’ll play two more warm-up fixtures before their Euro 2024 curtain-raiser against Albania.
Turkey and Bosnia & Herzegovina will be the Italians’ remaining tests before the Germany-held tournament kicks off in mid-June. Italy will defend the crown after beating England in the iconic 2020 showpiece at Wembley Stadium.
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