Boss demands improvement from never-say-die Azzurri

Italy coach Luciano Spalletti praised the never-say-die attitude of his players in rescuing a point with a 98th-minute equalizer against Croatia to book a European Championship last-16 place, but said there was room for improvement.

Late substitute Mattia Zaccagni earned the 1-1 draw in Group B as holders Italy set up a clash with Switzerland in Berlin on Saturday.

“We deserved to go through in terms of what we produced out there. We were a bit soft at times, we did not necessarily play our best football,” Spalletti said.

“It was hard to make it through this group. Spain are brilliant, Croatia are excellent. When you drop below the minimum standards like we did in the first half, it is because we feel the pressure of how important the game is.”

Luka Modric, 38, gave Croatia a 55th-minute lead, shortly after missing a penalty, in Leipzig. But Zaccagni bent a stunning finish past Dominik Livakovic in stoppage time.

Spalletti said Italy need to be more physical in the knockout stages.

“Whenever there is a challenge or a 50-50, we don’t win any. It is not a technical question, it comes down to experience,” he added.

Spalletti also challenged his team to cut out “trivial mistakes” that have proved costly.

Meanwhile, Spain manager Luis de la Fuente warned his players against getting carried away after their second-string side beat Albania 1-0 to wrap up a perfect group stage.

“We are all free to dream … but we have to keep our feet on the ground,” he said.