Italy’s run of 11 consecutive victories ground to a halt with a 1-1 Nations League draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Stefano Sensi cancelling out the Edin Dzeko opener.
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Italy’s run of 11 consecutive victories ground to a halt with a 1-1 Nations League draw against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Stefano Sensi cancelling out the Edin Dzeko opener.
Follow all the build-up and action as it happens and give your views on the LIVEBLOG.
The Azzurri began their 2020 Nations League campaign with their first game since November 2019, as Euro 2020 was postponed due to the lockdown. Elsewhere in Group 1, the Netherlands beat Poland 1-0.
Marco Verratti, Sandro Tonali, Federico Bernardeschi, Alessandro Bastoni and Alessio Romagnoli were unavailable, with Jorginho only fit for the bench, but Andrea Belotti was chosen to lead the attack rather than Capocannoniere and European Golden Shoe winner Ciro Immobile. Bosnia missed Miralem Pjanic, Besim Serbecic and Rade Krunic, but made their debut under new coach Dusan Bajevic.
Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Chiesa hit chances off target early on, while the Napoli captain also floated a free kick over the bar.
When Edin Dzeko made an intelligent run on a free kick routine to go clear, he was only stopped by valiant defending from Belotti, while Edin Visca ballooned over from a promising position.
Belotti scuffed an attempt into the arms of Ibrahim Sehic and Nicolò Barella blasted wide from distance, as Italy struggled to break down a very defensive Bosnia. Chiesa had gone clear on a Stefano Sensi slide-rule pass, but had wandered offside.
The Azzurri started to rack up the corners after the restart and Insigne’s curler was too predictable to beat Sehic, but out of nowhere Bosnia hit the woodwork on 52 minutes, as Armin Hodzic pounced on Alessandro Florenzi’s defensive error to clip the outside of the near post from the tightest of angles.
Moments later, Italy also struck the woodwork with Insigne’s header at the back stick on a long Chiesa cross.
However, it was Bosnia-Herzegovina who took the lead when a corner was flicked on twice for Dzeko to then let it bounce and fire in on the turn from six yards. The Roma striker had also opened the scoring when these sides met in Turin last year, but Italy went on to win 2-1.
The Nazionale did equalise with a bit of luck, as Insigne pulled back for Stefano Sensi on the slide from just inside the area and it took a deflection off Toni Sunjic to wrong-foot Sehic into the far bottom corner.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was ready for a Hodzic free header, but Sehic had to make a tough save with his gloves stung by Florenzi on the overlapping run from Chiesa’s assist.
Nicolò Zaniolo and Ciro Immobile came on, the Roma man almost nodding in a wayward Insigne effort at the far stick, then harshly booked for raising an elbow as he shrugged off Sead Kolasinac, followed by Leonardo Bonucci’s yellow card for protesting that decision.
Visca tested Donnarumma from distance on the counter, while Muhamed Besic drilled just wide on another rapid turnaround, as Italy's all-time record run of 11 consecutive victories came to a halt.
Italy 1-1 Bosnia
Dzeko 57 (B), Sensi 67 (I)
Italy: G Donnarumma; Florenzi, Bonucci, Acerbi, Biraghi; Pellegrini (Kean 86), Sensi, Barella; Chiesa (Zaniolo 71), Belotti (Immobile 73), Insigne
Bosnia-Herzegovina: Sehic; Cipetic, Sunjic, Sanicanin, Kolasinac (Civic 84); Cimirot, Hadziahmetovic, Gojak; Visca (Milosevic 86), Dzeko, Hodzic (Besic 77)
Ref: Sidiropoulos (GRE)