Lazio striker Ciro Immobile was concerned following Italy’s disappointing 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland yesterday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the ‘Un calcio all’inclusione’ event in Rome (via LazioNews24) earlier today, the 31-year-old Italian striker first spoke about his calf injury.
Unfortunately, I suffered this small injury to my calf. We waited for the edema to go away so we could do the tests.
The Lazio star then moved on to discussing Italy’s frustrating goalless draw last night. The Azzurri now need to play two playoff matches next year if they want to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
We didn’t need this false step. It will not be easy to play the World Cup playoffs in March, thinking back to what happened in 2017.
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Finally, Immobile discussed the ‘Un calcio all’inclusione’ event, created to promote an inclusionary environment in football.
I wanted to thank Pope Francis for this opportunity. He chose me, among many, and this is a reason of great satisfaction. I agree with the words of the president.
The team chooses us among many players, but it directs us especially in terms of the human aspect. We are a big family.
We are all brothers, we need each other to be able to express ourselves at our best on the field. We are happy to be able to be an example, to have this responsibility, to be able to teach something that can be useful for the future.
I hope to be a good referee, because this is the first time for me. I’m sure we will have a lot of fun.
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The 31-year-old Immobile, who is contracted to Lazio until 2026, was forced to withdraw from the Azzurri camp last week after suffering an injury to his left calf.
This left him unavailable for the Azzurri’s final two 2022 World Cup qualifiers against Switzerland and Northern Ireland, both of which were draws.
Italy will now need to play two single-leg playoff matches next year in order to qualify for the tournament.
