Marchisio: I had hallucinations due to the heat

Italy midfielder Claudio Marchisio felt like he had “hallucinations” during his team’s win over England in humid conditions in Manaus.

Heat and humidity were major talking points ahead of the Group D clash, which Italy won 2-1, at the Arena de Amazonia on Saturday.

Italy coach Cesare Prandelli was furious FIFA did not allow for water breaks during each half, and Marchisio has described the impact the conditions had on him.

The Juventus midfielder, who opened the scoring with a fine strike from distance, was impressed by his team-mates picking up a crucial win in testing conditions.

“It was important to get the victory, especially on a day when playing football in this humidity was frankly difficult,” Marchisio told Sky Sport Italia.

“In certain moments I felt like I had hallucinations due to the heat.

“However, this team showed it has great character, as we resisted in the final minutes and brought home a deserved win against a good England side.”

Mario Balotelli, who headed in what proved to be the match-winning goal in the 50th minute, was also unhappy with the humidity, describing it as “terrible”.

“The climatic conditions were just terrible tonight in Manaus, as it was far too hot. Italy always suffer, but the important thing is to win,” Balotelli told RAI Sport.

“We have to play without getting ahead of ourselves, so we must keep our feet on the ground, otherwise we’re going nowhere.”