Ciro Immobile feels Italy were doing well until the North Macedonia equaliser and is already enjoying the new Luciano Spalletti playing style.
The captain had opened the scoring by nodding in the rebound from a Nicolò Barella strike that cannoned off the crossbar.
However, Enis Bardhi fired in a sensational free kick from the edge of the box to leave the Azzurri with only a point in Skopje.
“We had two or three good chances, plus another two or three potentials, then for our errors and the state of the pitch, we didn’t take them,” Immobile told Sky Sport Italia.
“Once we did take the lead, which was not easy, unfortunately we then conceded at their first attempt on target. We have to be even more united than ever.”
Immobile was spotted sitting on the bench after the final whistle with tears in his eyes, perhaps thinking back to the 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia that stopped them qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
“Obviously, we knew it was difficult and got irritated at a certain point, as we were frustrated and couldn’t do what we wanted to, as the pitch was making it difficult to pass the ball low. That’s not an alibi, just a statement. Then they scored with a fantastic free kick.”
Spalletti has changed to the 4-3-3 formation and, after Federico Chiesa’s injury, brought in Mattia Zaccagni to accompany his Lazio teammate in the trident attack.
“I worked with the team, the team was behind me, I knew how to move and felt freedom in my playing style. It’s just a pity the three points didn’t arrive,” concluded Immobile.
Italy will hope to do better on Tuesday, when Ukraine visit San Siro for another game in this increasingly tricky EURO 2024 qualifying group.