Italy struggled but managed to secure a 2-1 win over Venezuela in Fort Lauderdale thanks to a brace from Genoa star Mateo Retegui and some excellent saves from Gigio Donnarumma.
Coach Luciano Spalletti picked a 3-4-2-1 formation with Mateo Retegui up front, but the start was tough for the Azzurri. Destiny Udogie and Giorgio Scalvini gifted the ball to Salomón Rondón, who was charged down by Alessandro Buongiorno inside the box, earning a spot kick.
Rondon also stepped up from the spot, but Donnarumma saved it on his left and Jefferson Savarino missed a big chance on the rebound, sending the ball over the bar.
Italy were too slow in the build-up but the high pressing worked sometimes. In one of these circumstances, Federico Chiesa sent the ball wide with a curler from outside the box. The Azzurri earned six corner kicks in the first half but were rarely dangerous, while Venezuela had another good opportunity with Rondon who didn’t find the ball with a sliding touch from inside the box.
The Azzurri broke the deadlock minutes before the break when they won the ball in the final third. Andrea Cambiaso passed it to Retegui, who scored his third goal in five Azzurri appearances. The worst seemed over for Spalletti’s men, but another poor ball management led to Venezuela’s equaliser.
Donnarumma passed the ball to Bonaventura after a risky dribbling inside the box, but the Fiorentina midfielder was pressed, so he had to give it away quickly, and Darwin Machís intercepted the pass and put the ball inside an empty net.
Italy’s struggles continued in the second half. Jhonder Cádiz was introduced from the bench for Venezuela and missed a huge chance all alone against Donnarumma who produced another excellent save.
Spalletti changed the system, returning to 4-3-3, and introduced Nicolò Barella, Mattia Zaccagni, Jorginho and Nicolò Zaniolo, among others. The coach’s tactical choice paid off; Zaniolo earned a corner kick with a shot from outside the box and a few minutes later, Jorginho pounced on the loose ball, entered the box and passed it to Retegui, who found the net again.
Another Italy substitute, Giacomo Raspadori, had an excellent chance to score, but his shot from a good position went over the crossbar.
Italy’s next game is against Ecuador on March 24.
Goals: 40′ Retegui (I), 43′ Machis (V), 81′ Retegui (I)
VENEZUELA (3-4-3): Romo; Ferraresi, Osorio, Angel (78′ Makoun); Aramburu (86′ Otero), Casseres (86′ Rincon), Martinez (77′ Castillo), Navarro; Savarino (62′ Pereira), Rondon, Machis (62′ Cadiz).
ITALY (3-4-2-1): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Buongiorno, Scalvini; Cambiaso (74′ Zaniolo), Locatelli (65′ Jorginho), Bonaventura 5 (46′ Barella), Udogie; Chiesa (65′ Zaccagni), Frattesi (65′ Pellegrini); Retegui (87′ Raspadori).