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.
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Manchester City head into the first international break three points clear at the top of the Premier League after Antoine Semenyo's double sealed an enthralling 5-3 home win over Sunderland, for whom Brian Brobbey grabbed a hat-trick, on Sunday.
JJ Spaun had a message for US Presidents Cup captain Brandt Snedeker, and he delivered it with his clubs instead of his phone, closing with a hot finish to win the BMW PGA Championship on Sunday in Surrey, England.
Atletico Madrid beat arch-rivals Real Madrid 2-1 in LaLiga on Sunday as second-half goals from Alejandro Grimaldo and Jonathan David settled a tense derby at a packed Estadio Metropolitano.
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The UAE has called for a more inclusive international approach to combating extremism and hate speech, with greater involvement from community leaders, young people, civil society and technology companies.