Italy 1-1 Poland
If you watched the UEFA Nations League clash between Italy and Poland, you may belong to one of two camps.
You may think that Italy deserved to win after hounding and pounding for more than half of the game. You may have the opinion that Poland deserved the three points after weathering through such a strong team.
However, you cannot deny that this was a cracker of a match! There wasn’t a lot of UEFA Nations League 2018 highlights in this game compared to other matches, but that doesn’t mean that the affair wasn’t as exciting. Poland gave Italy more than they could handle for 90 minutes and could have run away with the three points if it weren’t for late drama.
After all, the pre-match predictions at SBOBET saw this as an easy win for the hosts.
Highlights of the game
The match began with both teams on equal footing, trying to grasp the full capabilities of their squad and their opponents. Attackers from both sides have made their attempts to unsettle the opposing keepers. But it was the Bialo-czerwoni, a team that seemed outclassed in this match as they were in Russia, that were able to really threaten a goal first.
A long pass in the middle of the Italian defence was expertly handled by Robert Lewandowski. The Polish captain attracted enough attention to give Piotr Zielinski enough space. He set up a one-on-one situation between Zielinski and Gianluigi Donnarumma, but the Napoli man wasn’t able to beat the AC Milan stopper.
From that point on, the Poles began a barrage of attacks that didn’t allow much possession for Gil Azzurri. They had as much as 75% of possession during the first ten minutes of the game, but the Italian backline was able to hold off. The first 20 minutes of the game also saw referee Felix Zwayer give yellow cards to Giorgio Chiellini, Mateusz Klich, and Jakub Blaszczykowski.
The physicality of the match amped up as the yellow cards continued to pile up as Poland tried playing roughly to dispossess the football from Italy. The Italian backline was also having trouble trying to contain the highly motivated Bayern Munich man. Grzegorz Kychowiak attempted a shot in front of goal after a 26th-minute long throw, but Donnarumma expertly pushed the ball away.
Federico Bernardeschi almost put Italy ahead in the 37th minute when he was able to put the ball in front of him in a blitzing counter. He took a shot while being surrounded by several white shirts, but his shot went wide by half a ball.
While it seemed that the first half would end without any goals happening, Poland got the first strike. Lewandowski attracted the attention of the Italian defence as he lurked just outside the penalty box. He then made a lobbed pass that was received by an open Piotr Zielinski. There was no way he would miss such an open shot from within five yards.
Italy tried to get one back on the Bialo-czerwoni before the end of the first half, but their passes weren’t connecting and they were visibly affected by the physical brand of defence heir hosts have implemented. The first half ended without any action happening.
The second half started with Roberto Mancini’s Italy running out to get an equaliser, but it was Robert Lewandowski who was able to get the first good chance from inside the box. Fortunately for the Gil Azzurri, he mistimed his shot. Bernardeschi had another crack at goal in the 52nd minute, and his effort was once again wide by another half of a ball!
The Italians continued to find cracks in Poland’s defences, but Lukasz Fabianski and the backline made sure that all of their bases were covered. Thankfully, Blaszczykowski made a poor sliding tackle to award a penalty to Italy. Jorginho, currently with a rising stock at Stamford Bridge, equalised the score with a 78th-minute penalty to the left of the goal.
Both tried to get the winner, with Roberto Mancini’s Italy having the bulk of possession. However, Jerzy Brzeczek has arranged his squad in such a way that the guests won’t be able to score easily. After minutes of brilliant defending from the Poles, Zwayer blew the final whistle to end the contest at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara in a draw.
Key statistics
The stats are as tight as the game, and it can also be construed to support your arguments.
The Italians had more time with the ball and had more shots on target. However, they also had to block more shots as Poland were just getting more of their attempts on targets. Donnarumma also had to make several saves as Lewandowski masterfully orchestrated the Polish offence.
This draw, in my opinion, was a great victory for the Poles, who lost 0-2 to the Italians when they last met in a 2011 friendly. Meanwhile, Roberto Mancini’s record as Italy boss has now ballooned to a 1-2-1 win-draw-loss record. It looks like his plan to transform Italy back to winners has taken a bit of a hit with this result.
What’s next?
The UEFA Nations League 2018 odds are going to be interesting for Italy’s upcoming match against Portugal at the Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica. With Cristiano Ronaldo not on the squad sheet for this meeting, Mancini’s lads have a better chance of securing the three points.
Meanwhile, Poland will be engaging with the Republic of Ireland in a “meaningless” friendly. However, I don’t think the Boys in Green will be coming to this match in a relaxed manner after the humiliation they experienced against Wales.
Both of these fixtures should be great tests for Italy and Poland.
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