Italy have at the very least qualified for the European Under-21 Championship play-offs ahead of their final match with the Republic of Ireland after this 1-1 draw in Sweden.
The game got off to the worst possible start, as within nine minutes a Carl Gustavsson cross from a tight angle ended up being accidentally bundled over the line by Fabiano Parisi from close range, then Matteo Lovato went off injured.
Lorenzo Pirola’s header from a corner forced a sensational save, then Alessandro Plizzari came to the rescue after Pirola’s error at the other end.
Pietro Pellegri was unfortunate not to find the net with a ferocious effort that smacked against the crossbar on the stroke of half-time.
Italy received a penalty when Parisi was brought down by Emil Holm as he burst down the left side of the box and Genoa midfielder Nicolò Rovella converted to equalise.
The Azzurri bench was up in arms when Aiham Ousou was very lucky to avoid a second yellow card, while Parisi flashed a dangerous shot all the way across the face of goal and Nicolò Cambiaghi forced a save at the near post.
Samuel Brolin got down for a one-handed save on the Sebastiano Esposito angled drive, then made a double save on Cambiaghi and Gianluca Gaetano.
Sweden did eventually go down to 10 men, as Holm kicked out at Rovella after having his shirt pulled. Italy continued to pour forward, Brolin parrying from Parisi and Esposito in stoppages alone.
Sweden 1-1 Italy
Parisi og 9 (S), Rovella pen 56 (I)
Sweden U21: Brolin; Holm, Ousou, Vagic, Kahl (Svensson 81); Walemark (Abraham 70), Gustavsson (Nygren 81), Hussein, Jansson (Mbunga Kimpioka 81); Sarr, Al Hajj (Bardagji 66)
Italy U21: Plizzari; Okoli, Lovato (Viti 20), Pirola; Cambiaso, Bove (Gaetano 85), Ricci, Rovella, Parisi; Pellegri (Esposito 76), Cambiaghi
Sent off: Holm 88 (S)
⏱ RISULTATO FINALE
🇸🇪🇮🇹 #SveziaItalia 1️⃣-1️⃣
⚽️ Gustavsson 9’, #Rovella (rig.) 58’📋 Gli #Azzurrini dominano, ma non vanno oltre il pareggio a #Helsingborg#U21EURO#Under21 #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/QMQXl9pI8U
— Nazionale Italiana ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri) June 9, 2022
poor finishng and selfishness cost the victory. they need to be more lethal upfront and plays for team work.
They missed a lot of golden opportunities to finish the game. It is hard to believe that the game ended up with a draw.
Milan should make Plizzari the understudy to Maignan for next season. Let him play the Coppa matches.
Direct qualification should have been secured on Monday v. Luxembourg.
Why? Because Italy U21 should have beaten Sweden in Italy back in November 2021!
Not a great under 21 Italian team
The future. Perhaps its time we rethink our status as a soccer power/country/league.