Italy vs. Scotland: Score, Reaction from 2016 International Friendly
Italy cruised to a 1-0 win over Scotland in an international friendly on Sunday in Malta in the first of two friendlies the Azzurri will play ahead of the upcoming UEFA Euro 2016 tournament.
Graziano Pelle gave the Italians a deserved lead in the second half after his team dominated the first 45 minutes but failed to convert their chances. Once Pelle had opened the score, the match petered out, and Italy easily held on for the win.
The Azzurri will meet Finland in one final friendly before starting their Euro 2016 campaign against Belgium.
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As shared by the team's official Twitter account, Italy lined up in a 3-5-2 formation, with Emanuele Giaccherini receiving a surprise start in midfield:
Bleacher Report's Adam Digby had an explanation why manager Antonio Conte continues to give the Bologna man chances:
The match started at a slow pace. But Italy were the better side, and Matteo Darmian nearly picked out a team-mate with an inviting cross.
Scottish goalkeeper David Marshall produced a fine save to keep out a Giaccherini free-kick, and Pelle couldn't find a way past the Celtic man with the rebound either.
Scotland found it nearly impossible to breach Italy's star-studded defence early, as the Juventus trio of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli showed their tremendous understanding of each other's games. The Italians played high up the pitch, and Scotland barely got the ball out of their half.
But Italy's attack was nowhere near as strong as their defence, and the Azzurri did little with the handful of chances they mustered. On the other side of the pitch, Ross McCormack missed a volley, but the flag had already gone up to signal offside.
Giaccherini should have handed Italy the lead after 25 minutes after a deflected cross from Antonio Candreva fell kindly to his feet, but he lost his nerve and fired the ball well over Marshall's bar.
Candreva was Italy's main danger man, but his team-mates—and particularly Giaccherini—couldn't convert the chances he created for them. Minutes after the previous chance, Daniele De Rossi beautifully played him in, and he one again put his shot wide from 12 yards out.
Football Italia couldn't help itself:
Candreva was the next man to miss the target badly, blasting a volley at the back post well over. The Azzurri finished the half with plenty of possession and a handful of crosses, but none of those threatened Marshall, as the score was still 0-0 heading into half-time.
As shared by WhoScored.com, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon enjoyed a quiet first half:
Giaccherini thought he had finally unlocked the Scottish defence early in the second half, only to be called back for offside, and the match soon settled into a familiar pattern, with Italy dominating possession and Scotland defending for their lives.
A mad scramble almost saw the ball fall to Chiellini, but Scotland cleared in time before Pelle finally gave his side a well-deserved lead.
De Rossi glided through the Scottish defence before playing in the ball, and Pelle quickly turned and took his shot. Football Italia's David Swan praised De Rossi for his run:
Conte introduced Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne shortly after the goal, and Juventus' Simone Zaza joined them minutes later. Italy were gunning for more goals, while Scotland showed few signs of resistance.
They gradually started seeing more of the ball, but Scotland's lack of attacking success became evident when their fans loudly cheered a gained corner kick after 73 minutes.
The match petered out, however, although Matt Ritchie fired Scotland's first chance of the match just wide. A flurry of late substitutions didn't help matters, and after 90 uninspiring minutes, the official brought an end to the friendly.
Post-Match Reaction
Speaking to Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia), Conte seemed a little frustrated after the match and urged pundits and fans to focus on the positives:
"We put a lot of effort in, the pitch was in terrible condition and that didn't help.We must keep working. I liked the application and effort of the lads, we know there's a lot of work ahead of us.I am not a magician, so I don't know what we'll have when we get to the first game of Euro 2016.Let's look at the fact we didn't concede any goals, that Scotland never had a shot on target. Let's look at the positives and not always everything negative."
While it was far from a vintage showing from the Azzurri, the defence looked as solid as ever, and Sunday's showing wasn't a bad first step toward getting ready for the upcoming Euro 2016 tournament. Italy will have to be far more clinical in front of goal. But their defence is undoubtedly their biggest strength, and that unit appears ready for the big event.
