It was Roberto Mancini’s first match back in charge after he returned to the Italy bench three years after leaving for Saudi Arabia. Mark van Bommel, appointed after Rudi Garcia left following the World Cup, marked his Belgium debut with a comfortable away win.
Mika Godts scored his first international goal in the 20th minute. Kevin De Bruyne, on his 125th cap, found the Paris Saint-Germain forward on the left. Godts cut inside, beat Gianluca Mancini and Diego Coppola, and finished past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The move started from a loose pass by midfielder Alessandro Romano, winning his first Italy cap after switching allegiance from Switzerland. Coppola was standing in for the suspended Alessandro Bastoni, sent off in March’s playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Home supporters were already whistling. Only 47,155 were inside the 70,000-capacity Stadio Olimpico.
Dodi Lukebakio made it 2-0 in the 69th minute, scoring from outside the box on the counter after Sandro Tonali failed to halt the break. Italy had threatened after the interval — Pio Esposito hit the outside of a post — but could not convert.
Mancini started eight players who had featured regularly in World Cup qualifying. The 61-year-old won Euro 2020 with Italy before resigning in August 2023 and taking the Saudi job two weeks later.
Italy’s next fixtures offer little relief: they visit Türkiye on Monday, travel to France next Friday, then host Türkiye in Bologna to close the first block of Nations League matches.
For Belgium, World Cup quarter-finalists, the result is a clean start under van Bommel. For Italy, still rebuilding after the Bosnia playoff loss, it was another night that underlined how far the four-time world champions remain from their old standing.