Luciano Spalletti bid farewell to the national team with a 2-0 victory over Moldova, but the performance was insufficient to reassure about Italy's prospects in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The Azzurri coach accepted responsibility for failing to give the players the necessary shake-up after the heavy defeat to Norway.  "Those who coach the national team cannot have an alibi," he told the Rai microphones. “If you see players are worn out, you have to make changes. I believed they'd give me what I expected, but I was mistaken". Spalletti emphasized how the long season and emotional toll have impacted the Azzurri's performances. Despite scoring three significant points, last night's effort was deemed too modest to concern Norway,  especially looking ahead to the return match. The coach reiterated that many of the 25 called-up players were physically exhausted, a sign of general fatigue: “We are exhausted, drained... without muscles or legs, it becomes tough". “I’m not leaving behind great enthusiasm,” he admitted, “but the crowd still showed up. That said, I didn’t coach them well. Not much to say”. A bitter farewell for Spalletti, who leaves the national team with more questions than answers about the future.