Belgium beat Italy 1-4 in Brussels after turning an early setback into the defining spell of the match. Italy went ahead through Francesco Pio Esposito in the 11th minute, but Belgium hit back with three goals in 12 minutes from the 15th to the 26th and took control before the game had settled. Diego Moreira added the fourth in the 80th minute, and Italy's night got worse when Esposito missed a stoppage-time penalty.

The 12 minutes that killed the match

The shape of Belgium vs Italy is simple enough once you get past the early shock. Italy scored first, and Belgium responded immediately and relentlessly.

Esposito put Italy in front after 11 minutes, finishing from Michael Kayode's cross. For a side that only needed a point to reach the quarter-finals, that should have been the ideal start.

Instead, Belgium ripped the match away almost at once. They scored three times between the 15th and 26th minute, with goals arriving in the 15th, 22nd and 26th minutes. That run flipped the whole evening. Italy had a lead and a qualification route, then found themselves chasing both the score and the group.

The individual numbers back up who drove it. Jérémy Doku posted an 8.2 rating, the best among Belgium's attackers, while Kevin De Bruyne was rated 7.7 and provided the late assist for Moreira's goal. Belgium's attack had too much movement and too much quality once the first equaliser went in.

There was support across the side too. Maxim De Cuyper, Nathan Ngoy, Charles De Ketelaere and Brandon Mechele all featured in a performance that recovered quickly from the opener and never drifted back into panic.

Italy's good start became a bad night for Esposito

Esposito still ended up as the emotional centre of the game. He gave Italy the start they wanted and, for a while, looked like the player who might carry them through. The opener was his 10th senior international goal in 15 caps, and he now has five goals in six Nations League appearances.

Quoted by football-italia.net, the line on his scoring run was: "It was the 21-year-old’s 10th goal in just 15 senior caps."

Yet the match kept moving away from Italy. Belgium were already 3-1 up before the half-hour, and that left the rest of the game as a search for a way back rather than a push to protect a result. Italy never found it.

The late penalty only deepened that sense of waste. Nicolas Raskin's handball was confirmed by VAR, and Esposito stepped up in stoppage time with a chance to cut the deficit. Sources differ on the exact minute, listing it as 90', 90+1' or 92', but the broader point is clear enough: the chance arrived too late to save qualification, and he did not convert.

SPORT1, quoting in Polish and translated to English, reported the decisive moment this way: "Lammens came out on top in that duel."

What Belgium's win changed in the group

The result did more than produce a chaotic scoreline. Belgium finished second in Group 1 of League A on 12 points and advanced to the quarter-finals. Italy ended third on 10 points and went out because of defeat, not because a draw somehow became enough.

The wider group results mattered as well. France beat Türkiye and secured first place, but Belgium did their own job in the only way that still mattered once they fell behind: by winning convincingly.

Moreira's late goal put the final shape on it. Quoted in Portuguese by A Bola, in comments translated from Portuguese, the report noted: "It was the first for the player developed at Benfica in the national team shirt."

That fourth arrived in the 80th minute and removed any remaining tension from the closing stages, even with the late penalty still to come. Belgium are in the quarter-finals on 12 points, and Italy are out after losing 4-1 in Brussels.

FAQ

How did Belgium beat Italy so heavily after going behind early?

Belgium fell behind to Francesco Pio Esposito's 11th-minute opener, then turned the match with three goals in a 12-minute spell from the 15th to the 26th minute. Italy never recovered from that burst, and Diego Moreira added the fourth goal in the 80th minute to complete the 4-1 win in Brussels.

Why were Italy knocked out of the Nations League quarter-final race?

Italy only needed a point to secure quarter-final qualification, but they lost 4-1 to Belgium in Brussels. That defeat left Italy third in Group 1 of League A on 10 points, while Belgium moved up to 12 points and took second place behind France.

Did Pio Esposito still have a good game despite Italy losing to Belgium?

Esposito was still central to the match. He scored Italy's opener in the 11th minute after Michael Kayode's cross, taking him to 10 senior international goals in 15 caps. But the night turned against him when he missed a stoppage-time penalty that could only have reduced the margin.

Who sealed Belgium's win against Italy late in the match?

Diego Moreira scored Belgium's fourth goal in the 80th minute. It closed out the result after Belgium had already swung the game with three goals before the half-hour, and it made sure Italy had no route back even before the late penalty drama.

Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 8 outlets. How we work →