BEVERLY HILLS, October 11, (THEWILL) – Italy squandered a golden opportunity to take a firm lead atop Group A1 of the Nations League as a lack of clinical finishing saw them held to a 0-0 draw by Poland in Gdansk on Sunday.
Although the Azzurris extended their unbeaten streak of matches to 18 across all competitions, they will be left sorely frustrated that they spurned the chance to go four points clear of Netherlands given the quality of their play.
Roberto Mancini’s side posed the greater threat throughout. Were they not particularly wasteful in the first half, they would have been two goals up in an entertaining opening 45 minutes. But, Juventus winger Federico Chiesa and Lorenzo Pellegrini, the midfielder who plays for Roma, blew away both glorious opportunities.
In the 11th minute, Chiesa met Andrea Belloti’s inch-perfect cross and took a shot towards goal from close range. But he inexplicably shot it over. It could have been a fair reward for the positive start Italy enjoyed in the game.
To counter the Italian ascendency, Poland sprang to life at the other end shortly after. Talismanic striker, Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski’s left-wing delivery looked certain to be turned in by Derby County winger Kamil Jozwiak, only for Emerson to clear the danger in the nick of time.
Pellegrini’s miss came 10 minutes before the interval as a low cross from the right found its way through to the midfielder in the centre of the box. He failed to get enough on the ball before West Ham’s Lukasz Fabianski, in goal for Poland, gathered gratefully.
In the second 45 minutes, the Poles managed to tighten up a little. Their bright start almost yielded results through the midfielder Jakub Moder. He drew a necessary save from the Italian keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with a stinging wore on, the Azzurri dominance remained but it found the Poles tougher to break.
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Yet, Poland had fortune to thank when Emerson Palmieri, Chelsea’s left back, could only direct his header agonisingly wide. It was to be Italy’s last clear-cut chance.
Poland almost nicked the three points right at the end, but Torino’s Karol Linetty slammed into the side-netting after being teed up by Grzegorz Krychowiak, Lokomotiv Moscow’s defensive midfielder.
Both teams are in Nations League action again on Wednesday, with Italy hosting the Netherlands and Poland welcoming Bosnia-Herzegovina in Wroclaw.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
