News about Giovanni Di Lorenzo

RIATH AL-SAMARRAI IN DORTMUND: From the nation that brought us catenaccio, there has been a whiff of defensiveness about the Italians this week as they ponder their peculiar status at Euro 2024. When they launch their campaign against Albania in Dortmund on Saturday night, it will be from the somewhat jarring position of being defending champions of whom far less is expected than normal. If they are to find familiar comforts in this tournament, it will be as dark horses. That has certainly been the consensus view aimed at a young group featuring only nine survivors from the triumphant class of 2021 and which bears little resemblance to the squad that beat England in the final at Wembley.

After months of excitement and anticipation, the stage is finally set for the European Championships to kick off in Germany this week, with several teams in with a shot of lifting the trophy when it's all said and done. Gareth Southgate's Three Lions will be hoping to go one better than their runners-up finish at Euro 2020, having lost to Italy in the final on penalties, with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden leading a star-studded England squad heading to Germany this summer. Italy still pose a major threat as the reigning champions, with Nicolo Barella, Federico Dimarco and Alessandro Bastoni showing excellent form during Inter's dominant Serie A title triumph last season, with the trio accompanied by the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Di Lorenzo. Mail Sport provides you with the ultimate guide to Euro 2024, taking a look at every team's squad, kits, preferred formation as they gear up for the tournament...

PETE JENSON: For the first time since the Euros, Italy is back in London on Tuesday. Spalletti, a charismatic yet disciplinarian, has had a good game this week, but the problems were also growing long before police started to investigate Sandro Tonali and Nicolo Zaniolo over illicit betting. Only three players from the 2021 squad have returned: Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, Giovanni Di Lorenzo in defense, and Nicolo Barella in midfield. Federico Chiesa had been called up to the squad in the spring, but he was unable to return from the team due to sickness on Monday. Spalletti has admitted to a shallow talent pool, and the team will be relying on 34-year-old Giacomo Bonaventura to be their Jude Bellingham in midfield. And remember the goals were scored by former Everton forward Moise Kean, who was suspended with Mancini because of disciplinary issues.

Napoli ekeled Sassuolo on Sunday, 2-0 home win over them, thanks to Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo's goals. After Sassuolo's Daniel Boloca brought down Matteo Politano, Osimhen opened the scoring after 16 minutes when he converted a penalty. Maxime Lopez made it worse for the visiting team when he was suspended in the 51st minute for verbally insulting the referee.

We've arrived at the business end of the Champions League, and there were some thrilling performances in the first leg of the quarter-finals. Thanks to Manchester City's 3-0 victory over Bayern Munich, the city has one foot in the next round. Chelsea, on the other hand, has a lot of work to do ahead of their second-leg match against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge next week. Who makes Mailsport's team of the week after some outstanding performances across the four games.

Napoli bounced back from their humiliation by AC Milan last weekend to advance 19 points straight at the top of Serie A with a 2-1 victory over Lecce. In the first half, Giovanni Di Lorenzo opened the scoring, but the visitors were stunned after the break following Federico Di Francesco's return to form. Luciano Spalletti's side won the game after an own goal by Antonino Gallo shortly after the hour mark.

As the curtain comes to an end in a spectacular week of international football, attention is now on domestic life as the season comes to a close. Although the Premier League seems to be brimming with a title race, a top-four battle, and a relegation battle for the ages, it is likely that all Europe will be elicit in terms of ineration and excitement. With 12 games remaining in LaLiga, 11 left in Serie A, 10 in Ligue 1 and nine in the Bundesliga, there are plenty of places to play in the top leagues on the continent. Despite the fact that titles are expected to be swn up in Italy and Spain, with Napoli and Barcelona respectively holding strong positions, the Champions League football competition is still in the air, despite being braceding for a fierce title contest in the Bundesliga.

OLIVER HOLT IN NAPLES: Harry Kane took the ball in his hands and stroded to the penalty spot in the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Our minds were taken back to a stadium in the desert a few miles north of Doha on Saturday, December 10 last year. Kane was standing on a penalty spot earlier this year, with six minutes to go for a World Cup quarter-final and England trailing France 2-1. Although it was 103 days ago, the event is etched on all our memories. Kane, who had already had one penalty in the game, took his run-up and then smashed the ball high over the crossbar. And Kylian Mbappe cried with elation. Every England fan in the ground was stunned into silence. Kane lost the chance to break his country's goalscoring record because of the miss. And England was left out of the World Cup. He was now standing over the penalty spot. There were two minutes to go until halftime of England's first match since the horrible night in Qatar, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo had tackled the ball in the Italy region. Kane had a chance at redemption in another big game in England's pivotal opening match of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign against one of the game's traditional powerhouses.

PLAYER RATINGS - BY ROB DRAPER (British Republic): England threw a 2-1 victory over Italy in their first European Championship qualifier after the World Cup in dramatic circumstances. Goals from Declan Rice and Tottenham Hot Shot Harry Kane (left), as well as midfielder Jude Bellingham (centre) ran the show, had England 2-0 up at halftime. After converting from the penalty spot after Giovanni Di Lorenzo's handball, Three Lions captain Kane tied for the country's highest international goals, rising to 54. Mateo Retegui reduced the deficit with a cool finish on his Azzurri debut, while Luke Shaw (right) was sent off in 54 seconds for two yellow cards, adding to the heat, but Gareth Southgate's men stood out. Rob Draper of Sportsmail rules over Naples's two teams of players.

Tickets for Eintracht Frankfurt's upcoming Champions League last 16 match against Napoli will not be available. Napoli has been forbidden by the Italian Interior Ministry from selling tickets for the traveling fans of the Bundesliga team ahead of next week's European match. The first leg, which Napoli defeated 2-0 in Germany, saw violent clashes between both groups of supporters, which culminated in multiple arrests and three Partenopei fans.

EINTRACHT FRANKFURT 0-2 NAPOLI: Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Di Lorenzo's goals gave visiting Napoli a 2-0 victory over 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg at Deutsche Bank Park on Tuesday. Nigeria striker Osimhen, who has now scored ten goals in his last nine games in all competitions, was tapped in at the far post to give his team a 40th minute lead. Captain Di Lorenzo made the ode from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's stellar backheel assist, who made amends for his first half penalty miss.

Napoli's 2-0 victory over regional rival Salernitana on Saturday brought the Italian Cup back to its feet. Napoli advanced 12 points clear of defending champion AC Milan ahead of Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Victor Osimhen's game at Lazio on Tuesday. In the Italian Cup, Napoli lost on a penalty shootout to Cremonese, which is last in Serie A, on Tuesday.

MARK WILSON AT IBROX: It took a third penalty to finally break Allan McGregor's resistance and put an end to his hopes of returning to Rangers in the Champions League on a night when Ibrox erupted with intense emotion and chaos. The 40-year-old so nearly completed the most extraordinary hat-trick of his lengthy top-level career. McGregor was crestfallen as Matteo Politano's attack remained agonically out of reach, stretching out a gloved left-hand.