Unbeaten Italy challenge Belgium number one for 31 games

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KATHMANDU: JULY 2 – World number one Belgium will face Italy, unbeaten for 31 games, in the second game of the Euro Cup 2020 quarterfinals on Friday at 12:45. The ongoing match between the two title contenders is expected to be interesting.

Both the teams in excellent rhythm are looking to enter the last four by beating each other. Belgium are unbeaten in 13 games while Italy has not lost in 31 games. Italy has won the last 12 games in a row. Belgium has also won the last five games in a row.

Italy has not lost since the last time they lost 1-0 to Portugal in the League of Nations in August 2018. Since then, Italy has played 26 wins and 5 draws.

Italy beat Austria 2-1 in extra time in the pre-quarterfinals, breaking the national record for most unbeaten games. Italy is four games away from Spain and Brazil has lost 35 games.

Belgium, who edged out defending champions Portugal in the quarterfinals, last lost 2-1 to England in September. In the meantime, Belgium has drawn 11 wins and 2 draws.

Playing in the Euro Cup for the first time in 16 years, Belgium reached the quarterfinals last season. At that time, Wales had reached the semifinals by defeating Belgium 3-1.

Belgium reached the semi-finals of the World Cup three years ago. Belgium, who lost 1-0 to France in the semifinals, beat England 2-0 in the third-place match. Coach Roberto Martínez is leading Belgium to remarkable success. He has been the coach of Belgium since 2016. Belgium, meanwhile, has won 47 games and scored 175 goals.

Of the teams that reached the quarterfinals in the ongoing tournament, only Italy and Belgium won all the group stage matches. However, history seems to be in Italy’s favor. Belgium has yet to beat Italy in the Euro Cup and World Cup. Like Belgium, Italy has been performing brilliantly under coach Roberto Mancini. The last time the two teams met was in the group stage of the last Euro, where Italy won 2-0.

Belgium had beaten Italy in a friendly in 1999. Belgium’s game with Italy will not be easy. His star player Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne is uncertain whether he will be available due to injury. However, Romelu Lukaku, who scored three goals, and Thorgan Hazard, who scored two goals, will be Belgium’s main weapons in the tournament. Italy’s Ciro Immobile and Mario Locatelli have scored twice each to keep the momentum going against Belgium.

Facts

This is the fifth clash between the two teams in the main competition and the first in the knockout stage. Italy has won three of their last four games and drawn one. Italy last beat Belgium 2-0 in the group stage of 2016.

Belgium

Belgium, who also reached the quarterfinals last season, lost 3-1 to Wales and dropped out of the competition. Belgium has won 11 of their last 13 games and scored 32 goals. Belgium has lost just one of their last 27 matches.

Belgium lost 2-1 to England in the 2019 Nations League match at Wembley.

Belgium has scored in 34 consecutive games since losing to France 1-0 in the 2018 World Cup semifinals for the last time.

Italy

Italy has reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship four times in a row. In the last three quarterfinal matches he played, the game was decided by a penalty shootout. Spain lost in 2008, England in 2012, and Germany in 2016 in a penalty shootout.

Italy has set a national record by winning 12 games in a row. Italy has scored 34 goals and conceded only one goal. Italy has managed to set an unbeaten national record in 31 games.