Italy edge out Belgium
Italy edged out Belgium courtesy of a 2-1 scoreline in the Nations League 3rd/4th placed play-off, with Nicolas Barella and a Domenico Berardi penalty proving decisive over their European rivals.
⏱️ FT – That’s a wrap. An excellent win for the Azzurri! 👏#ITABEL 2⃣-1⃣#Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/PnJnKnZnQb
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) October 10, 2021
Both sides named vastly changed sides from the defeats to Spain and France in midweek, with their victors ultimately contesting the final of the competition yesterday evening.
Courtois slams UEFA after the game
After the game, the defeated shot-stopper Thibaut Courtois was quick to take issue with the fixture itself, regardless of the result.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Real Madrid goalkeeper
“This game is just a money game and we have to be honest about it,”
“We just play it because for UEFA it’s extra money.”
🗣️ “They don’t care about the players they just care about their pockets.”
Thibaut Courtois accused UEFA and FIFA of prioritising money over player welfare after Belgium were beaten 2-1 by Italy in the Nations League third-place play-off. pic.twitter.com/0RbBu0Ux6h
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) October 11, 2021
“Look at how much both teams changed [line-ups]. If both teams would have been in the final there would have been other players in the final playing.
“This just shows that we play too many games. In June again, there are four nations League games, why?”
“We will get injured and nobody cares about the players any more.”
He continued, astonishingly, to target the Super League, which his club side were a main instigator in when it failed in April, saying:
“They [UEFA] made an extra trophy [UEFA Conference League]… it is always the same,”
“They can be angry about other teams wanting a Super League but they don’t care about the players, they just care about their pockets.
“It’s a bad thing that players are not spoken about. And now you hear about a European Championship and a World Cup every year, when will we get a rest? Never.”
Is Courtois right to point the finger in UEFA’s direction?
