Italy-Ukraine Play to 1-1 Draw in 2018 International Friendly

Italy were held to a 1-1 friendly draw by Ukraine on Wednesday at Genoa's Stadio Luigi Ferraris, as Federico Bernardeschi's opener was cancelled out by Ruslan Malinovskiy.

Italy had the better of the opening 45 minutes, as they dominated possession but could not make their dominance count in a goalless first half. 

The match was paused in the 43th minute to allow the teams, officials and supporters to pay tribute to those who lost their lives in the Ponte Morandi bridge collapse in Genoa in August.

Bernadeschi opened the scoring on 55 minutes with a low shot from just outside the penalty area. Ukraine goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov did manage to get his hands on it, but the ball squirmed through his grasp and into the back of the net.

Ukraine hit back seven minutes later after Italy failed to clear a corner. The ball fell to Malinovskiy who scuffed his shot which just beat Gianluigi Donnarumma and sneaked inside his post.

Mancini Must Make Insigne His Star

Lorenzo Insigne came into the game in great form for Napoli. The forward has seven goals in all competitions already for his club side but could not add to his tally for his country.

The 27-year-old started in a central role as a false nine flanked by Federico Chiesa to his left and Bernadeschi to his right:

Although Italy saw plenty of the ball and dominated the game, Insigne had few sights of goal. The Napoli man went close at the end of the first half, but his shot was comfortably parried by goalkeeper Pyatov.

The second half was a similar story with Insigne unable to hurt Ukraine. Although the hosts saw plenty of the ball ,they lacked an end product.

It was little surprise their only goal of the game came from a goalkeeping error. Pyatov got to Bernardeschi's shot and ought to have kept it out.

Manager Roberto Mancini must find a way to get the best out of Insigne and ensure he can replicate his prolific form for Napoli on the international scene.

Barella Threatens to Keep Pellegrini out of Italy's Lineup

Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella made his debut for Italy and put in an impressive display which suggests he has a bright future for the Azzurri.

The 21-year-old lined up alongside Chelsea's Jorginho and Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti in midfield and helped Mancini's team control the game against Ukraine.

MARCO BERTORELLO/Getty Images

Barella showed no nerves on his Azzurri debut and "had a very good game," according to Mancini, per Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia).

The Italy boss' comments suggest he may have done enough to keep his place in the team for their next fixture, a UEFA Nations League clash against Poland on Sunday.

He looks a stronger option that Lorenzo Pellegrini who featured for Italy in their 1-1 draw with Poland in September.

The Roma midfielder replaced Barella after 78 minutes but made little impact during his limited time on the pitch.

Azzurri Should Call Allan

Italy dominated the majority of the game in Genoa and forced Pyatov into several routine stops, but they struggled to really carve out clear-cut chances and hurt the opposition.

Mancini brought on Ciro Immobile on the hour mark in search of more cutting edge in attack but the 28-year-old could not add the ruthlessness his team were lacking.

Italy lack a prolific goalscorer and Mancini must consider calling up Napoli midfielder Allan to add some much-needed spark to his team.

Allan is eligible to play for Brazil and Italy, and Mancini has reportedly contacted him to ask him to consider the Azzurri, per Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia).

Soccer writer Peter Galindo explained how he'd help Italy:

The 27-year-old has become a key figure with Napoli and could play a big role for Italy. He'd help drive the team forward, add more thrust to their attack and potentially help bring out the best in Insigne.

What's Next?

Italy travel to Poland for their UEFA Nations League fixture on Sunday. Ukraine host Czech Republic in the Nations League on Tuesday.