Italy coach Roberto Mancini on Monday
thanked President Sergio Mattarella ahead of a reception at the
presidential place in Rome for his Twitter message saying the
team had done Italy proud in winning Euro 2020.
"Thank you President, it is a victory to dedicate to all the
Italians!", replied Mancini on Twitter.
Mattarella, who attended the match, tweeted "#Mattarella: Great
recognition to Roberto #Mancini and our players they represented
#Italy well and did sport proud #EURO2020".
Mancini also said the win was for all Italians living abroad.
England players taking off their runners-up medals and being
accused of lacking fair play after their loss to Italy on
penalties in the Euro 2020 final was "understandable" given
their disappointment, Mancini said ahead of the reception with
Mattarella.
The Azzurri sang the national anthem before going in to the
reception, and Mattarella sang along.
Previously the Azzurri went to the Celio military hospital for
their COVID booster jab, and Emergency Commissioner Francesco
Figliuolo said "Italy wins when it plays as a team".
During the reception at the Quirinale , Italian Soccer
Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina said this national
team represents the Italy that wants to restart after the
COVID-19 emergency.
He said "the national team is a great beauty, not only in its
game but in its values, it is the point of departure for the
reforms in our world, but also for the country".
Captain Giorgio Chiellini said the Azzurri dedicated the victory
to former Fiorentina and Italy defender Davide Astori, who died
of cardiac arrest ahead of a match in March 2018.
"We would like to dedicate this victory to Davide Astori, whom I
knew and whom we would have liked to have here with us today",
said the veteran Juventus skipper and defensive icon.
Chiellini told Mattarella that the win was "for you and all the
Italians in the world".
He also told the head of State that "we felt brothers of Italy",
citing the national anthem, and said "we did not win because of
a penalty but because of friendship".
Mancini said the victory was "dedicated to the Italians, who can
finally rejoice" and said that "you can follow a dream when you
believe in it".
Italy's first Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini, also there
to be received by Mattarella, said the only thing missing from
his match with Serbia great Novak Djokovic had been the win.
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