Italy’s European Week Was a Three-Club Collapse

Italy had no answer in Europe: three clubs played, three lost, and Brescia’s heavy defeat made a grim week worse. The country’s continental campaign now needs a sharp response from Juventus and FC Internazionale Milano, both with second legs at home; Brescia’s 0-4 loss offers no such immediate reprieve in the results reported here.

Juventus went down 2-0 to Liverpool on Wednesday, 5 March, in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie. The score leaves the Italian side needing to overturn a two-goal deficit when the teams meet again at Juventus on Tuesday, 11 March. The Bianconeri have been made to work for Europe before; now there is no room for a cautious accounting of the damage. Can they turn this tie around, or will another continental night end in frustration?

FC Internazionale Milano were beaten 1-0 away by Ponferrada on Tuesday, 4 March, in their own last-16 first leg. Their return is on Wednesday, 12 March, at FC Internazionale Milano, with a single goal between them and a route back into the contest. Nicola Orlandi, who spent six seasons at Juventus and won three trophies there, is now with Inter: a familiar Italian connection in a week when neither of the country’s Champions League sides could find a result.

Brescia suffered the most emphatic setback, losing 0-4 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday, 6 March, in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

There is no Italian win to soften the verdict. Juventus and Inter still have their second legs to play; Brescia’s defeat stands as the week’s clearest warning. Italy expects more than mere participation. This time, the scoreboard delivered nothing.