Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma urged his teammates to remain strong and hold their heads high after their crushing 4-1 defeat to Norway in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The result at the San Siro ensured that Italy would have to go through the playoffs to appear in the final round.
"It was a completely different game in the first half, we didn't let them get out of their area," Donnarumma told RAI Sport on Monday.
"We have to do that for 95 minutes, not just 45. This defeat hurts, but we have to keep our heads up because everything will be decided in March with those two games. We have to regain our confidence, and I'm sure we can do it."
Italy needed a big win to overtake Norway at the top of Group I, and that didn't happen.