Forged in fire and blood
Short on pure talent, Italy have made sacrifice, suffering and unity their watchwords at Euro 2016 although it remains to be seen whether they can keep up such extraordinary intensity throughout the tournament.
Initially discredited but inspired by the passion of coach Antonio Conte, Italy gave the best performance of the finals on Monday as they overran Belgium to win 2-0 in their opener.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Conte himself celebrated the first goal with such enthusiasm that he banged his head against substitute Simone Zaza and suffered a nosebleed.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon narrowly escaped injury with his celebration at the end of the game.
The 38-year-old ran towards the goal, leapt and tried to swing from the crossbar, but fell and landed awkwardly.
There was an equally jubilant reaction back home, while the players promised more of the same against Sweden and Ireland.
"It's a great start but this is just the beginning," said Leonardo Bonucci."We have come with the intention of dreaming and surprising. We mustn't get carried away. We have to reflect and try and improve things which were less good."
With only three days between matches, Italy may not be able to keep up such a hectic pace while their tactics, based on a rock-solid defence, may be less suited to their next opponents. However, It is not something which seems to bother Conte.
"I've been repeating from the beginning that this is a group first and foremost of men, and then of footballers," he said.
“In a tournament like this you need an alchemy of people who get on well together, and the biggest satisfaction for me is to see how happy they all were, including those on the bench. There's a very good spirit in this squad.
“Our objective remains the same, to get into the last 16. I think the fans are pleased when they see 23 players giving everything on the field and being willing to spill blood."
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