LUCIANO SPALLETTI is calling it a "final" and, for war-torn Ukraine, on a sporting level, victory would be a statement like no other.
The Italy coach (right) has promised to maintain the Azzurri's high-risk approach in tonight's crunch Euro 2024 qualifier in Leverkusen - even if the price of defeat could be missing out on yet another major tournament.
Friday night's 5-2 win against North Macedonia took Spalletti's men ahead of Ukraine in the race to qualify automatically as Group C runners-up behind England.
A draw will be enough for the Italians, who failed to reach the last two World Cup finals in Russia and Qatar, to join the party without going through the high-wire torture of a play-off.
This story is from the November 20, 2023 edition of Daily Mirror UK.
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This story is from the November 20, 2023 edition of Daily Mirror UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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