Roberto Donadoni assures Italy did not deserve to lose in Spain, as they could only “stand and applaud” David Villa’s stunner.
“We were in the game and had some great chances, so did they, but we did not deserve to lose,” he said after the 1-0 friendly defeat in Elche.
The Azzurri came closest with Mauro Camoranesi hitting the bar and a Luca Toni goal controversially disallowed, but the game was decided late on by a fantastic Villa volley.
“We accept the result and there was little we could do about Villa’s goal, just stand and applaud such a moment of technique.
“Obviously when you make six substitutions in a game it affects the performance, but it was important to see how some players worked from the start.”
Donadoni has been at the centre of controversy this week as he refused to sign a new contract that would see his job hinge on a successful Euro 2008.
“I do my work with passion and great effort, just like my players and my staff. The rest is all talk.”
The Italian media pointed out that Fabio Capello’s 1-0 loss in France has already seen the English newspapers proclaim the honeymoon period is over.
“If something negative happens elsewhere that doesn’t give us an excuse to continue!” laughed Donadoni. “Let’s try to copy the positive things from other countries instead of the worst aspects.”
This is Italy’s first defeat since another friendly in Hungary, lost 3-1 on August 22, 2007.
