Italy head coach Roberto Mancini is excited by the prospect of facing England in Euro 2024 qualifying, declaring "it will be nice to meet again".
England and Italy were drawn alongside Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta in a challenging qualification group on Sunday, from which the top two will qualify automatically for the tournament in Germany.
The duo met as recently as last month, when Giacomo Raspadori's goal condemned England to relegation from the top tier of the Nations League, while Mancini also led the Azzurri to victory over the Three Lions in last year's Euro 2020 final.
England's dismal Nations League campaign meant they – alongside world champions France – were in pot two for the draw in Frankfurt.
Although Mancini claims he expected Italy to land one of those two giants, he remains content with the draw and is looking forward to meeting Gareth Southgate's men.
"I was sure we would have one between England and France, but that's okay too," Mancini told Rai Sport after the draw.
"It's a group of five, it's doable. But there won't be simple games, they'll all have to be played.
"It will certainly be beautiful with England, with Southgate we know each other and if it continues like this we are pretty good, I don't know if he agrees.
"By now this challenge is a classic and, although we faced each other 20 days ago, it will be nice to meet again."
While Italy have happy memories of their recent games against England, remaining unbeaten in their last six head-to-head meetings, the same cannot be said about another of their opponents.
North Macedonia clinched a stunning win over Italy in the World Cup play-offs in March, ensuring the Azzurri missed out on a second consecutive edition of the tournament.
Mancini is urging caution ahead of that reunion, adding: "It's one of those games that happen every now and then. As we saw in Palermo, all matches must be played, even the simplest ones."
The Azzurri boss was also pleased to be drawn alongside Ukraine, declaring: "There will be some emotion... but Ukraine is still a good national team."
Al-Ittihad 2-1 Al-Nassr: Bergwijn nets last-gasp winner for leaders
Steven Bergwijn's last-gasp winner earned Al-Ittihad a huge victory in their quest for the Saudi Pro League title, beating Al-Nassr 2-1 at King Abdullah Sports City on Friday.
Karim Benzema had given the hosts a 55th-minute lead before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled two minutes later, but Bergwijn struck the decisive blow in second half stoppage time.
In a tepid opening 45 minutes, clear-cut chances were hard to come by, with Bergwijn and Benzema going closest for the hosts, but unable to trouble Bento.
However, Al-Ittihad got themselves in front shortly after the break when Muhannad Al Shanqiti picked out Benzema, with the Frenchman on hand to tuck the ball home.
But the hosts' joy was short-lived after Angelo saw his effort cleared off the line by Danilo Pereira, before the Brazilian laid the ball back to Ronaldo to level the scoring.
With the game looking to end all square, Al-Ittihad stole the three points at the death as Bergwijn cut inside before curling a right-footed effort into the far-left corner.
The result moved Al-Ittihad three points clear at the summit, though Al-Hilal can go level with them with a win over Al-Raed on Saturday. Al-Nassr, meanwhile, stayed in fourth.
Data Debrief: Bergwijn bursts Ronaldo's bubble
Al-Ittihad have often been second best in their encounters with Al-Nassr, but they earned an impressive victory against Ronaldo's side, though it may not have been deserved.
They managed an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.66 from their 11 shots compared to Al-Nassr's 1.2 from the same number of attempts.
Benzema also ended his goal drought against Al-Nassr, having failed to score against them in his previous game against them. The former Madrid striker ended the game with a team-high xG of 0.36, while also having more shots (seven) and touches in the opposition box (four) than any of his team-mates.
Al-Ittihad have now won their last nine league matches, their second-longest streak in the competition after 10 wins between October 2021 and February 2022, while also triumphing in their eighth-straight home match in the Pro League.
Wiegman hails England's 'solid' defence against USA
Sarina Wiegman praised England's defensive work in an "intense" game against the United States after they played out a 0-0 draw at Wembley.
The Lionesses struggled to find their rhythm in attack, managing just four shots throughout the game, with only one of those on target – a Leah Williamson header in the 55th minute.
However, they also limited the USA to just three shots on target, with Mary Earps the standout performer as she helped to keep the Olympic champions at bay.
After losing their last friendly at Wembley 4-3 to Germany, Wiegman was pleased to see a marked improvement as England step up their preparation for Euro 2025.
"This shows where we are at, and we need to keep improving," Wiegman told ITV. "It is November now. This is good, but we want to be better again. We have to be better again.
"I thought it was a very intense game. Of course, we know the USWNT is very dynamic [and] explosive in going forward.
"Our defence was solid, we were defending as a team, very strong. They challenged us on the wings; I think we solved that well, and in the box, we defended that pretty good. I'm happy with the team performance."
The visitors thought they had scored a winner at the start of the second half, only for Lindsey Horan's finish to be ruled out for offside.
They were also awarded a penalty in the 65th minute for an Alex Greenwood handball, though VAR overturned it after replays showed it hitting her torso.
The USA are now unbeaten in each of their last 20 friendly matches (W17 D3), keeping a clean sheet in 16 of those matches.
Emma Hayes also maintained her unbeaten start on her homecoming and was proud of how her team performed.
"When you have to play England, especially after the defeat to Germany, we knew there was going to be a reaction to that performance," Hayes told ITV.
"I got the chance to see so many younger, less experienced players. It is so important because we are building towards something. I am proud of the way we imposed ourselves on the game. Generally, I am pleased with the performance.
"We had a goal disallowed, it was never a penalty, but you saw the entries into the final third it was us more than them. We are at a developmental stage, and I am proud of the way we played. In the Olympics, I saw some composure in our play. I am proud.
"You've got two top teams. Sarina's an amazing coach. It was a good tactical match-up. I just enjoy coaching. I live in football matches, to be honest with you."
Maresca makes Sancho and Mudryk game-time vow ahead of busy Chelsea schedule
Enzo Maresca has vowed the likes of Jadon Sancho and Mikhailo Mudryk will get plenty of minutes for Chelsea in the coming weeks after impressing in the 2-0 win over Heidenheim.
It was England winger Sancho who assisted Mudryk for the Blues' second in Thursday's Conference League fixture after Christopher Nkunku scored a second-half opener at the Voith-Arena.
Neither player has been a regular for the Blues in the Premier League, with Maresca mixing up his options between Premier League duties and domestic and European competition ventures.
But as the English calendar reaches a busy festive schedule, Chelsea boss Maresca said both players will get their fair share of action.
He told a news conference: "I said since we start, Jadon is very important for us. He has to be fit, mentally and physically and he is going to help us a lot.
"Unfortunately we did not use him in the last few games but he is showing tonight how important he is. We need that quality in the last third against a low block. He is going to help us a lot.
"He's (Mudryk) one of the players I just mentioned. It's difficult to find players tonight that didn't play well. We need all of them taking the chances when they get the chances.
"They all want to play more; they all deserve to play and are working fantastic. We are going to share minutes in the next games because we have so many games and it's the normal thing to do."
Chelsea lead the league phase of the competition and are on the brink of the last 16. Maresca praised the mentality his side showed to stay perfect in the competition.
"It was a very good challenge for all the aspects, they were high pressing, intense, but no matter what they do, it's important we are ready," he added.
"It's important to continue with that mentality."
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