By Angelo Amante
ROME (Reuters) -Italy were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium on Thursday after Lorenzo Pellegrini was sent off and they squandered a 2-0 lead but remained top of Nations League A Group 2.
Italy lead the standing on seven points, one ahead of France who beat Israel 4-1 with Belgium third on four.
Italy scored in the first minute when winger Federico Di Marco fired a low cross into the box and Belgium keeper Koen Casteels saved the first shot from Andrea Cambiaso who bundled in the rebound.
Italy doubled the lead in the 24th minute when Di Marco volleyed the ball across the field to Cambiaso who was denied a second by Casteels before striker Mateo Retegui knocked in the loose ball.
Coach Luciano Spalletti’s team were cruising until midfielder Pellegrini was sent off for hitting Belgium defender Arthur Theate at the end of the first half, following a VAR review.
The red card galvanised the Belgians and they immediately hit back through Maxim de Cuyper who halved the deficit with a curling shot from the edge of the box after a clever free kick routine.
“There are episodes that change the games,” Spalletti said, referring to the red card.
Belgium started the second half strongly and equalised in the 61th minute when Leandro Trossard poked home from close range following a header by Wout Faes.
“Too bad, we did the first 40 minutes until the expulsion great,” said Cambiaso.
Belgium, who faced Italy without injured captain Kevin De Bruyne and striker Romelu Lukaku, face a key clash with France on Monday, when Italy face Israel.
Theate said Belgium still had chances to finish in the top two and qualify for the Nations League quarter-finals.
“We should have won with 10 against 11, we didn’t do it but we have a (key) game with France now,” he said.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Ed Osmond)
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