In the third round of the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers Group I, the "Blue Army" Italy lost to the "Viking Pirates" Norway 0-3 after conceding goals in the first half. Spalletti said that this was not the performance the team should have, and they must reflect on themselves and face the problem.

Bastoni was intercepted in the 14th minute, Antonio Noosa got the ball and sent a straight pass, and Sørot shot over the defense, helping Norway take the lead 1-0. In the 34th minute, Antonio Noosa received a pass from Morten Thorsby, broke through the defense and shot into the goal, helping Norway continue to lead Italy 2-0.

In the 42nd minute, Odegaard created an opportunity with a through pass, Haaland received the ball and shook off Italian goalkeeper Donnarumma before shooting the ball into the empty goal, helping Norway expand its lead to 3-0.

In the end, Italy lost 0-3 to Norway away from home.

Italy coach Sparres said in an interview after the game, "The direction of the game can explain it all. The first goal we lost was avoidable. Then they used the abilities of several people in the open space to cause us a lot of trouble. Since then, the game has become more difficult. After falling behind 0-2, the opponent retreated to the half, which made it difficult for us to find space. More importantly, we lack the kind of players who can get rid of opponents in one-on-one confrontations. This is the key gap."

"I am the coach of this team and I chose the team, so I will continue to lead them. We do need to improve in some aspects and not give the ball to the opponent easily, which will give them more advantages. This is the best lineup we have evaluated and we will continue to use these players."

"This is not the performance we should have, we should have done better, but this is a difficult period," said Sparas. "We did encounter some things, but this is still the lineup I chose, and I will continue to lead them forward. I chose this group of players because I believe in their strength. But if we don't even dare to try the offside trap and don't press, it means that we lack confidence, and relying on technology and ability alone is not enough."

"Of course, we are worried when we experience such performance, so we must reflect on ourselves and realize that there is a problem. We must face the problem because there is no other choice."