Italy suffered a 1-0 loss against North Macedonia last night, facing elimination from the World Cup play-offs for the second time in a row. Italian media picked Gigio Donnarumma, Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile and Jorginho as the worst players on the pitch.
There was little to save from the Azzurri’s defeat at the Stadio Renzo Barbera last night. Despite dominating the match and creating 32 goal-scoring opportunities, Italy’s opponents North Macedonia managed to qualify for the Final, scoring one goal from two shots on target. But it’s not Lady Luck that Italy must blame if they have failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second successive time.
Too many players failed to show up when it mattered the most. Ciro Immobile is arguably the symbol of La Nazionale’s struggles up front. The most prolific Serie A striker over the last six years has been unable to replicate his Lazio form with the Azzurri. He had another disappointing night at the Stadio Barbera yesterday and was rated 4/10 by La Gazzetta dello Sport that called him ‘confused and inaccurate’, adding that the match against North Macedonia could be his last with Italy. Gianluca Mancini and Lorenzo Insigne got the same rating, but many Azzurri failed to impress last night.
Gigio Donnarumma, Emerson, Jorginho were rated 4.5. Only Marco Verratti, Alessandro Bastoni and Giacomo Raspadori got a passing grade (6/10), with the PSG midfielder named Italy’s MVP by each Italian sports paper.
Donnarumma is partially blamed for Aleksandar Trajkovski’s late goal. ‘The feeling is that he could have done something more,’ wrote Il Corriere dello Sport, while La Gazzetta dello Sport was even more straightforward, saying that ‘he could not concede a goal like that.’
Jorginho is also at fault for the goal and according to Tuttosport, he was Italy’s worst player on the pitch (4/10). ‘He lost time protesting for a handball, rather than defending,’ wrote the Turin-based paper. The Chelsea playmaker had missed two penalty kicks in two games against Switzerland during the qualification group and said last night that those two errors will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Surely Berardi was one of the worst? He had a golden opportunity and hit the ball as hard as an 80 year old granny. Not the first time I have seen hit the ball with no power.
Absolutely right Chris JP.
it says a lot when your best attacking player is Berardi…
With VAR in place Jorginho needed to PLAY TO THE WHISTLE.
Instead he didn’t track alongside the MKD player and so a shot was able to be taken.
He has cost Italy yet again. Direct mistakes by him has cost us.
Until the percentage of Italians in Serie A increase the NT will suffer.
and what about Donnarumma? The boy now cries and weeps …. and possibly regrets his move away from Milan ….. but still in the meantime his bank account and that of his manager Raiola keep on growing fatter and fatter …..
as I see it, the goal by North Macedonia should be put exclusively at the door of our dear DoLLarumma and nobody else ……
Jorghinio, Insigne , and most of all Immobile all played badly. Donnarumma has lost his confidence because Pochettino only picks him for half the games. The guy i feel most sorry for is Verratti . Italy’s most talented player of this generation missing yet another world cup, and also knocked out of the Champions League.
The goal was a wonderful shot, but from that distance, with that pace, there is absolutely no way that one of the top keepers in the world (ostensibly) should be beaten. Inexcusable.
Donnarumma played awfully. Immobile had some chances. Berardi played well except for that failed goal. Jorginho practically didn’t do anything. Verratti, awesome as usual. Emerson, eh. Not as well as spinazzola would’ve played. They didn’t seem to be motivated and we’re kinda lazy
Nobody talks about Insigne who has been a ghost in the last year. Even Spaletti has benched him for Lozano. Mancini is the one to blame for this debacle, and no one else
I agree that the d Definitely no nothing should have been saved I also put the blame on the coaches for playing
Ciro he only scores for Lazio never did he play well on the National team ‘ insegne hasn’t played well for several months for team or country