Mancini: Players will grow from this tough Austria test

Italy coach Roberto Mancini admitted relief after the victory over Austria.

The Azzurri needed extra time to get the better of Austria as substitutes Federico Chiesa and Matteo Pessina made the difference in a 2-1 victory.

Now with a place in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals, Mancini said: “We brought it home because we deserved it, even though we conceded on a corner and had to let one in sooner or later.

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“We frankly should’ve scored the two goals a lot earlier and not gone to extra time, and we got tired as it wore on, but we won deservedly.

“The players who came off the bench had the right mentality and stepped straight into the match to change the game. Those who came on were extraordinary after those who came off had already given everything they had.

“I knew this was going to be tough, probably tougher than the quarter-final. Games can take the wrong bent, but we played well and deserved it.

“This test can do us good, we had to show a strong mentality.”