Kayode: ‘Italy feel great regret, but will be back stronger than before’

Kayode: ‘Italy feel great regret, but will be back stronger than before’ Michael Kayode felt ‘great disappointment’ at Italy’s 4-1 defeat to Belgium and Nations League exit, but assures they will ‘be back stronger than before.’ The stage was set for revenge after the 2-0 home defeat on September 25, and only a point would’ve been enough to qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals. BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – NOVEMBER 15: Italy fans show their support before the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Belgium and Italy at King Baudouin Stadium on November 15, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) However, despite taking the lead early on through Francesco Pio Esposito, they crumbled by conceding three goals in the next 15 minutes scored by Maxim De Cuyper, Nathan Ngoy and Jeremy Doku. It was a mountain to climb, Milan winger Diego Moreira added a fourth on the counter-attack, and Pio Esposito’s late penalty was parried by Senne Lammens. Kayode regret for Italy BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – NOVEMBER 15: Jeremy Doku of Belgium and Michael Kayode of Italy battle for possession during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Belgium and Italy at King Baudouin Stadium on November 15, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) “There is great disappointment, obviously. We could’ve done better in the first half, we’ll work on it, but there’s not much more to say,” Kayode told RAI Sport. With France beating rock bottom Turkiye 2-0 in the other game, it knocked the Azzurri down to third place in Group A1. “We gave our all, we can certainly do better, but this is just how it went.” BRUSSELS, BELGIUM – NOVEMBER 15: Nathan Ngoy of Belgium celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Nations League 2026/27 group phase match between Belgium and Italy at King Baudouin Stadium on November 15, 2026 in Brussels, Belgium. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images) Is there a danger this defeat can wipe out all the gains in self-belief that Italy made in recent weeks, especially with those two performances against France? “It’s a process, we did so well in these games and created a great unit, so there is regret, but we’ll work hard and be back stronger than before,” insisted Kayode.