Italy's forward Lorenzo Insigne celebrates scoring their second goal during the UEFA EURO 2020 quarter-final football match between Belgium and Italy at the Allianz Arena in Munich on July 2, 2021. ANDREAS GEBERT / POOL
Italy striker Lorenzo Insigne credited coach Roberto Mancini for building a "fun" atmosphere around the national team squad that has allowed him to put in his best performances at the European Championship.
Insigne scored a curling strike as the Italians reached the Euro 2020 semi-finals with a 2-1 win over top-ranked Belgium on Friday.
"I'm really having a lot of fun. I've never played with such a big smile on my face, it's like playing with my mates back home when I play during the week," he said.
"The head coach deserves credit for that because he really has allowed us to produce our best football. And everyone, myself included, is really playing with a smile on their faces. And that's our secret.
"I'm very pleased for the team as a whole because we're proving that we're a great squad and the head coach deserves a lot of credit for that. We simply need to kick on because we haven't achieved anything yet. We still have plenty to do.
"We need to kick on ... we haven't achieved anything yet. We need to put in this last effort, keep our head down and graft."
Italy will take on Spain in the semi-final at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.
Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Hungarian Grand Prix and slash the Australian's Formula One lead to nine points after completing more than half the race on a single set of hard tyres.
Lionel Messi left injured in the 11th minute with hamstring discomfort, but Inter Miami earned a 5-4 penalty shootout win against visiting Necaxa following a 2-2 draw in Matchday 2 of Leagues Cup Phase One play on Saturday night.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi will be the host cities for the men's Twenty20 Asia Cup, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said, with arch-rivals India and Pakistan to meet in Dubai on September 14.
The Wallabies restored some pride by finally producing an 80 minute performance to beat the British & Irish Lions 22-12 in a weather-disrupted third test on Saturday, handing the visitors their only loss of their nine-match tour of Australia.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, reiterated the UAE's support for the Palestinian people’s rights, in line with international resolutions.
Dubai Municipality’s parks and recreational facilities attracted more than 16.7 million visitors in the first six months of 2025, marking an increase of over 250,000 compared to the same period last year.
The UAE has delivered 65 tonnes of essential medicines and aid supplies to WHO warehouses, in preparation for distribution to hospitals across the Gaza Strip.