the middle, and 9 from the south. On 28 May 2018, Italy won their first match under Mancini, a 2–1 victory in a friendly over Saudi Arabia. On 12 October 2019, Italy qualified for Euro 2020 with three matches to spare after a 2–0 home win over Greece. On 15 October, with a 5–0 away win over Liechtenstein, Italy won its ninth consecutive match under Mancini, equalling the record set by Vittorio Pozzo between 1938 and 1939. Italy won all of their Euro 2020 qualifying matches in Group J, and set an unprecedented record of 10 victories in a single calendar year in 2019. In May 2021, Mancini's contract with the Italy national team was extended until June 2026. In June 2021, Italy was the only team in UEFA Euro 2020 to win all three group stage matches without conceding a goal; Italy had the best goal difference, the most shots, and the most attempted through-balls at the tournament. On 26 June 2021, with a 2–1 win over Austria, Mancini led Italy to a record 31-match unbeaten streak, surpassing the 30-match streak set by Pozzo. On 11 July, Mancini led Italy to a 3–2 victory on penalties over England in the final of the tournament at Wembley Stadium, following a 1–1 draw after extra-time; this was Italy's second European Championship title after 1968. On 5 September 2021, Mancini led Italy to their 36th unbeaten match, surpassing the world record of 35 set by Brazil and Spain. The unbeaten run was extended to 37 matches three days later with a 5–0 home win over Lithuania, but the streak was ended the following month with a 2–1 home loss to Spain in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A semi-finals. On 10 October, Italy went on to win the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League bronze medal following a 2–1 home victory over Belgium. On 24 March 2022, Italy lost 1–0 at home to North Macedonia during the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup qualification play-offs, failing to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, missing out on the tournament for the second consecutive time in their history. On 1 June, Italy were defeated 3–0 at Wembley Stadium by reigning Copa América champions Argentina in the 2022 Finalissima. Management style Despite having been a support striker during his playing career, Mancini places great emphasis on building from the back, stressing the importance of not conceding