Christian Maggio admits Italy were ultimately content with the point in Belgrade that maintains their unbeaten record.
“We knew it was tough and tried to keep hold of the result, as Serbia began piling on the pressure, as was entirely expected. It's a good point,” he said of the 1-1 draw.
Christian Maggio admits Italy were ultimately content with the point in Belgrade that maintains their unbeaten record.
“We knew it was tough and tried to keep hold of the result, as Serbia began piling on the pressure, as was entirely expected. It's a good point,” he said of the 1-1 draw.
“The Coach knows we are experienced and wanted to do well even if we had already qualified, so he didn't need to fire us up. We were fully aware that we could impress in Belgrade and I think we did.
“Aleksandar Kolarov pushed up a lot and made it two-against-one, but Daniele De Rossi also helped me out in defence. It went well and we closed up the spaces for the most part.
“The Coach wants us to play the ball to feet and hopefully with one-touch football, so sometimes it can go wrong, but Andrea Pirlo always puts you in a position to deal with the ball in the best way.
“We knew Serbia would hit us hard in the first half and I thought they couldn't keep up that level of aggression, which turned out to be true.
“We had some chances to score a second after the break, but this is a good point and allows us to continue along our path.”
Claudio Marchisio had opened the scoring within 56 seconds, but Branislav Ivanovic flicked in the equaliser.
“I am happy for Claudio, as it's his first goal in the Nazionale, and he's having a wonderful campaign at club and international level.
“I am happy with my own period of form, as I started the season well and hope to continue with these fitness levels that allow me to give my best.”