The player wearing the captain's armband sets the example for their teammates. They get the team motivated, they keep the side focused, they reel in the remonstrations with referees that can get players booked.
That's what they're supposed to do, anyway.
In Italy's case, in this instance, not so much. At least not on Sunday with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma captaining the Azzurri.
In the 36th minute of the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal against Germany, with Italy already trailing 1-0 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate, the Paris Saint-Germain No. 1 tipped a glancing Tim Kleindienst header over the bar for a corner kick and immediately marched toward the referee in protest of an incident in the buildup.
Germany caught Italy fast asleep on this goal 😳🇩🇪 pic.twitter.com/avzbFD2Y2Y
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) March 23, 2025
While he was protesting, Donnarumma didn't realize that he was the last man back, meaning that all corner taker Joshua Kimmich (who scored the opener from the penalty spot) had to do was play the ball backward and whoever was the recipient in the 6-yard box would be onside. Bayern Munich teammate Jamal Musiala was equally alert to the opportunity, and Kimmich's quickly taken dead ball found the Germany No. 10 6 yards from goal, with Musiala smartly deflecting the corner into a wide-open net.
It wasn't until the ball was descending onto Musiala's right foot that Donnarumma realized his error. The goal made it 2-0 to Germany on the night and 4-1 on aggregate. A costly blunder.
Kleindienst would add another on the stroke of halftime, and Italy would score three unanswered goals through a Moise Kean brace and a second-half stoppage-time strike from Giacomo Raspadori to earn a 3-3 draw on the night, but ultimately Julian Nagelsmann's team would win the tie 5-4 on aggregate to book their place in the semifinals.
