Video: Spalletti comes out of Italy locker room to thank fans after dramatic Croatia draw

Luciano Spalletti came out of the Italy locker room to thank the few Azzurri fans left in the stands in Leipzig and explained why he did so during a post-match press conference.

Spalletti was furious with journalists and partially with his players after a 1-1 draw against Croatia on Monday, which allowed La Nazionale to qualify for the EURO 2024 Round of 16.

More than 30 minutes after the final whistle, when many fans had already gone home, Spalletti returned to the pitch to thank those left in the stands.

“It’s great to receive love from all these people,” Spalletti said at a press conference attended by Football Italia.

“President Gravina came to me and said: ‘Come say hello to everyone because you went straight inside the tunnel.’ He was right. You must be there and wave to the fans because they are all waiting for you. These people have paid for a ticket and they eat in the streets.”