Italy (National Football)

Roberto Mancini has said Italy can still win the UEFA European Championship, even if it postponed from this summer to 2021 due to the coronavirus outbreak.

An emergency UEFA meeting will take place on Tuesday, and one of the discussion points will be whether to postpone Euro 2020, per Dan Roan of BBC Sport.

The Europe-wide tournament is set to take place between June 12 and July 12. Italy are scheduled to kick off proceedings with the opening Group A game against Turkey at Rome's Stadio Olimpico.

Mancini said he had all but picked his squad for the tournament, but he believes Italy can still go all the way in 2021 if it is postponed, per Rai Sport (h/t Goal's Stephen Creek):

"I don't know how it will end. But there are more important things than Euro 2020, without a doubt.

"If they postpone the tournament, we can win even in a year. The important thing is the health of everyone and that we can all return to the stadium and enjoy ourselves. Seeing people die in these last few days is hurting us too much.

"I had a fairly safe list of players called. It was ready with only a few doubts to decide at the last minute. However, if the tournament is suspended for a year, there will be a few changes. We have to wait to Tuesday to understand if UEFA will decide to postpone Euro 2020. The problems we have had in Italy in the last 15 days will now be seen in other countries."

Italy has been one of the worst affected countries in the coronavirus outbreak, which had infected more than 152,000 people worldwide as of Sunday, per CNN.

As with many of Europe's other top leagues, there was no Serie A action over the weekend:

https://twitter.com/brfootball/status/1239352799072223238

Per Caesars Palace, Belgium and England are the current favourites for Euro 2020. 

Italy are among the front-runners, though, after easing though their qualifying group with 10 wins out of 10. Belgium were the only other side with a perfect record.

The Azzurri's last match in November ended in a 9-1 victory over Armenia in Palermo.

Their friendlies against England and Germany later this month have been cancelled. UEFA's meeting on Tuesday could then have an impact on further warm-up games against San Marino and Czech Republic.

Italy have been on an upward trajectory since Mancini took charge in 2018 in the wake of the Azzurri's failure to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

They are unbeaten since September 2018, a run of 14 matches, and will likely be well backed for the Euros, no matter when it takes place. 

Italy national team manager Roberto Mancini said his team aren't favourites in Group A after the draw for UEFA Euro 2020 on Saturday, calling it a "balanced" group.

The Azzurri came out of Pot 1 and drew Switzerland, Turkey and Wales. They'll open the tournament on home soil against the Turks, in Rome on June 12.

Per Football Italia, Mancini reserved special praise for Wales, who came out of Pot 4 and are the weakest team in Group A on paper:

"While it's always good to see a draw, every team in the final phase is competitive. We could've got France, but at the end of the day, it is a very balanced group. ...

"All games are to be played. We are not the favourites, as all these teams play good football. The fact we are playing in Rome is a small advantage, but every match will still be difficult.

"I want to single out Wales, because they play excellent football and have many of their players in the Premier League. They are solid and not easy to beat. ...

"Nothing is to be taken for granted. Maybe some of the favourites will go out early, but if you want to go all the way to Wembley, you need to beat everyone in front of you.

"We're doing well, but there's a lot more work to do and we need to improve a great deal from here to the Euros. Now I face a big problem whittling down my squad to just 23 players."

Italy and Belgium were the only teams to qualify for the tournament with a perfect record. The Azzurri finished their qualifying campaign in style, demolishing Armenia 9-1:

The Azzurri missed out on a spot at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but that opened the door for a new generation of stars to get their chance.

Nicolo Barella, Nicolo Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali have become building blocks in midfield, and Federico Chiesa is one of the team's most dynamic forwards.

Caesars (h/t Italian Football TV) gave the young Azzurri the seventh-best odds to win the tournament:

https://twitter.com/IFTVofficial/status/1200849572807008256

Their odds were better than those of Switzerland, who are ahead of Italy in the latest FIFA rankings. On paper, Switzerland (12th) and Italy (13th), should battle for first place in Group A while Wales (22th) and Turkey (29th) fight for third place.

The Turks impressed in qualifying, however, conceding just three goals in 10 matches and finishing just two points behind world champions France. Led by Merih Demiral and Caglar Soyuncu, they have a talented, young defence that should cause serious problems at Euro 2020.

Wales have plenty of individual talent as well, with Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey capable of deciding matches on their own. Youngsters Harry Wilson, Ethan Ampadu, Tyler Roberts and Rabbi Matondo have star potential and enough talent to make a giant leap forward between now and the start of the tournament.

Switzerland stand out for their all-round depth and are led by Nico Elvedi and Manuel Akanji. In Cedric Itten, Albian Ajeti, Breel Embolo and Noah Okafor, they have four forwards with tons of upside and versatility.

Italy completed their perfect UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying run on Monday, beating Armenia 9-1.     

Ciro Immobile and Nicolo Zaniolo both scored braces, while Nicolo Barella, Alessio Romagnoli, Jorginho, Riccardo Orsolini and Federico Chiesa also got on the score sheet. Edgar Babayan bagged the consolation goal for the visitors.

Belgium can join Italy as the only teams to be perfect in qualifying this year if they beat Cyprus on Tuesday.

The Azzurri had long ago locked up the top spot in Group J, finishing well ahead of Finland.

While there was technically nothing at stake in this match―other than Italy's perfect record―the two teams came out guns blazing, treating the fans to a fantastic opening half.

It took the hosts less than 10 minutes to take a two-goal lead, but only after Salvatore Sirigu made a key save after Babayan broke through the defence.

Chiesa picked out Immobile with a fine cross after eight minutes, and one minute after the Lazio man opened the scoring, Zaniolo of rivals Roma doubled the lead:

⚽️ 8' Immobile
⚽️ 9' Zaniolo

Italy are well on their way to 10 wins from 10 #EURO2020 qualifiers!#ITAARM pic.twitter.com/foHNmhRIoT

— GOAL (@goal) November 18, 2019

Immobile got the assist, with Zaniolo blasting the ball through the legs of Aram Hayrapetyan.

Chiesa nearly made it 3-0, firing just wide after a lovely attack, while Alexander Karapetian nearly made Leonardo Bonucci pay for a mistake, finding the cross bar with his effort.

The Juventus defender made up for his careless giveaway with a stunning pass for Italy's third goal, setting up Barella. Football Italia's Elio Salerno was impressed:

Fanatsic pass from Bonucci, so aesthetically pleasing!

Straight into the path of Barella’s forward run & he made the finish look easy. Nice move, better goal 3-0

— Elio Salerno (@eliosalerno87) November 18, 2019

And the entertaining play continued. Chiesa deserved a goal for his efforts but hit the upright after a good delivery from Jorginho, before Immobile got his brace.

Zaniolo found the striker making his run, and given his strong form, he was never going to miss:

Ciro Immobile for club and country this season:

• 18 games
• 19 goals

A stupendous return. 😳 pic.twitter.com/DHeiDN7roO

— Squawka (@Squawka) November 18, 2019

He even nearly bagged a first-half hat-trick, striking the upright with the final chance of the opening period.

Chiesa fired the first chance of the second half at goalkeeper Hayrapetyan, while Sirigu also flashed his talents with a smart save on Hovhannes Hambardzumyan.

Fiorentina's Chiesa was desperate to get on the score sheet, but incredibly enough, the woodwork again denied him after 57 minutes. Substitute Orsolini also went close, dragging his shot wide.

A fifth goal seemed inevitable, and it came after 64 minutes. Zaniolo bagged his second of the night, firing home a wonder strike. 

Make that a first brace. https://t.co/3VZiXspt71

— Football Italia (@footballitalia) November 18, 2019

And the goals just kept coming. Romagnoli got in on the fun after 72 minutes, pouncing on a rebound, and just minutes later, the Armenians gave away a penalty, which Jorginho converted. 

Italy were gunning for their biggest-ever win at this point, edging ever closer to tying a 9-0 victory over the United States in 1948.

Orsolini headed home Italy's eighth, before Babayan gave the visiting fans something to cheer about with a fantastic strike out of nowhere.

Chiesa was the next man to score, finally getting his reward for a great outing:

https://twitter.com/IFTVofficial/status/1196539208254578692

Scorer Babayan left the pitch late with an injury, leaving the unfortunate Armenians with 10 men. Italy pushed hard to tie their record, but fell just one goal short.

Italy are just one win away from a perfect UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign and will get the chance to complete their run against Armenia on Monday.

Caesars have named the Italians -725 favourites (wager $725 to win $100), while Armenia check in at +1,800. A draw carries odds of +740.

The Azzurri won the away meeting 3-1 in Yerevan and are in a great position to complete the job in Palermo. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET, and fans can tune in via Sky Sports (UK) and ESPN+ (U.S.).

   

Here are the highlights from the first meeting between these teams:

The Azzurri have played their best-ever qualifying campaign, and manager Roberto Mancini has not been afraid to hand plenty of minutes to his younger and less experienced players.

Sandro Tonali was one of the standouts in the 3-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday, while Gaetano Castrovilli and Pierluigi Gollini made late cameos in what was a joyous affair.

The same could be in store for Monday's match, although the unbeaten record will be the priority. Italy have built a tremendous amount of momentum during this run, and a strong finish could set up the team for success at the tournament.

AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma told Rai Sport he believes the Azzurri are capable of great things (h/t Football Italia):

Gianluigi Donnarumma maintains #Italy “can continue this run into Euro 2020 and have our say against any opponent” after 10 consecutive victories https://t.co/VDGyclvjaN #BIHITA #BosniaItaly #VivoAzzurro #EURO2020 #ACMilan pic.twitter.com/AVsDYeSi0X

— Football Italia (@footballitalia) November 16, 2019

Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne flanked Andrea Belotti in attack against Bosnia, and it would not be a surprise if all three started on the bench against Armenia. In Federico Chiesa, Stephan El Shaarawy and Ciro Immobile, Mancini has depth to call on, and he hasn't been afraid to rotate in previous double-headers.

The strength of this team lies in midfield, however, where Tonali, Nicolo Zaniolo and Nicolo Barella could be the spine of the side for years to come. Rolando Mandragora could see some playing time against Armenia, adding to the wealth of young options.

The visitors' squad doesn't boast nearly as much talent, and their best player, Roma's Henrikh Mkhitaryan, has not been called up because of injury.

Aleksandre Karapetian has three goals during this qualifying campaign and netted against the Italians in the first meeting, but he was also sent off, and his dismissal was a turning point in the match. The Sochi forward will be extra motivated to make up for his indiscretion and ruin Italy's bid for perfection.

Prediction: Italy 2-0 Armenia

Italy maintained their perfect record in UEFA 2020 European Championship qualifying with a 3-0 victory away against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Friday at the Bilino Polje Stadium.

The Italians took control after Francesco Acerbi's 21st-minute opener and Lorenzo Insigne's effort eight minutes before half-time.

Bosnia plugged away as they searched for a route back into the contest, but Andrea Belotti finished in style to make it 3-0 after 52 minutes.

The victory gave the Italians nine wins from nine games in Group J, with the Azzurri storming towards the finals.

Despite a concerted effort to hold possession and draw their opponents into mistakes, the Italians were never in trouble on Friday.

Italy No. 1 Gianluigi Donnarumma was busy during the opening exchanges, and the stopper denied Ermin Bicakcic from scoring the opener after eight minutes.

The visitors slowly composed their game and began to open up Bosnia before scoring the first of the night.

Federico Bernardeschi danced passed his marker as he snuck in behind the defence, allowing Acerbi to finish with a neat side-footed effort.

The defender was as clinical as any striker could be, tucking his shot into the bottom corner inside the box.

Italy appeared controlled after the opener, and despite Bosnia remaining competitive, a second strike soon followed.

Insigne rolled his shot past goalkeeper Ibrahim Sehic, giving the group winners the cushion they desired and deserved at the interval.

Roberto Mancini's men made it an easy second half after obtaining their third through the impressive Belotti.

The striker had been a menace throughout the night and the Torino captain provided a world-class finish to beat Sehic.

Understandably, Italy relaxed for the remainder of the game, and errors crept into their football. However, Bosnia lacked the interplay to take advantage.

The contest petered out, allowing the away side to canter to an eighth win during qualification. Bosnia remain fifth, but are guaranteed a play-off opportunity after their UEFA Nations League endeavours.

                     

What's Next

Both nations are back in Group J action on Monday. Italy will welcome Armenia, with Bosnia travelling to Liechtenstein in the last qualifier. The Italians have already secured qualification for Euro 2020, and Bosnia are guaranteed a play-off spot after winning their UEFA Nations League group.

Italy boss Roberto Mancini said on Monday that if he calls up Mario Balotelli to the national side, it will be because his form warrants it rather than using his selection as an anti-racism message.

Mancini discussed Balotelli, who was racially abused by some Hellas Verona supporters on November 3, after Italian football federation president Gabriele Gravina suggested calling him up to send a message to fans.

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN), Manicini said:

"Football and sport should unite, not destroy. We're in 2020 and we're still talking about skin colour. I wish Mario nothing but well, he's still of an age to do a lot. But if he should be recalled, it will be because he is doing well and can help the national team.

"You can think like the president said, but you need to understand that if Balotelli gets another chance, it will be because he deserves it from a technical point of view. I think it's more important to call him if he deserves it."

Eurosport's Siavoush Fallahi similarly felt it would not be productive to call up Balotelli as a means of combating racism:

Let’s call Balotelli to the national team as a signal against racism instead of trying to resolve the problem https://t.co/Ptf5m9WifB

— Siavoush Fallahi (@SiavoushF) November 5, 2019

The striker was subjected to monkey chants at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi in Verona's 2-1 win over his Brescia side.

After kicking the ball into the crowd in response, Balotelli began to leave the pitch. He was eventually persuaded to continue playing by his team-mates, while the referee halted the match so an announcement could be read out over the public address system.

The 29-year-old spoke out against the abuse after the match:

🗣️ Balotelli's message for racists:

"The few who have done it are d*ckheads.

"The racist banter was not good, it has never been good and it will never be good.

"They are a few idiots, but they are always there." pic.twitter.com/AdsyJXgmcR

— GOAL (@goal) November 6, 2019

Serie A sanctioned Verona with a partial stadium closure, per ESPN FC's Andrew Cesare:

Not going to praise Serie A for taking the minimum action possible but at least have saw through Verona's shameful attempts to paint themselves as the victims

— Andrew Cesare (@AndrewCesare) November 5, 2019

The club also banned Lucas Castellini, their head ultra, until 2030. He told Radio Cafe (h/t the Guardian) that Balotelli "can never be completely Italian" and said he only heard the abuse "in his own head." He added that Verona "also have a negro in our team who scored yesterday, and all of the Verona fans applauded him."

Rather than defend their player, Brescia's ultras sided with their Verona counterparts against Balotelli:

"We have no doubts Balotelli is to all intents Italian, even a Bresciano... But the arrogance that he continually gives off is unjustifiable."

A statement from Brescia ultras has defended Verona fans after some racially abused Mario Balotelli.

In full: https://t.co/B0sNO1tLnH pic.twitter.com/HS5JhkNRuU

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 8, 2019

Inter Milan's ultras did the same when Romelu Lukaku was racially abused by Cagliari fans earlier in the season.

Football writer Kaustubh Pandey called out the Brescia supporters for their actions:

Mario Balotelli went back to Brescia as that is his home and he has a special connect with that place.

But Brescia ultras abuse him for reporting racism from Verona fans. They don't deserve someone as grounded as Mario. When world football lauds him, they show zero respect.

— Kaustubh Pandey (@Kaus_Pandey17) November 8, 2019

After three years out of the national side, Balotelli made three appearances for Italy under Mancini—who coached him at Inter Milan and Manchester City—in 2018, scoring once.

He earned his call-up having scored 43 goals in 66 appearances for OGC Nice across the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

Balotelli joined Marseille in January after failing to score in 10 matches for Nice in the first half of last season.

The forward then moved to Brescia in the summer after his six-month spell with Marseille, where he scored eight goals in 15 appearances. He's scored twice in seven games for Brescia this season.

On that form, it would be hard to justify his selection ahead of Ciro Immobile or Andrea Belotti. The former has 16 goals and five assists in 16 games for Lazio this season, while the latter has 13 and two in 18 outings for Torino.

Italy cruised to a 5-0 win over Liechtenstein on Tuesday to maintain their 100 per cent record in Euro 2020 qualifying.

Roberto Mancini's side had already sealed top spot in Group J and picked up their eighth win thanks to goals from Federico Bernardeschi, Andrea Belotti, Alessio Romagnoli and Stephan El Shaarawy.

The visitors opened the scoring with less than two minutes on the clock when Bernardeschi hammered home the opening goal from a Cristiano Biraghi cross.

Italy had to wait until the 70th minute to double their lead. Belotti directed a powerful header past goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel from a Vincenzo Grifo corner.

Romagnoli nodded home the third from substitute El Shaarawy's free-kick, and the Shanghai Shenhua forward then prodded home the fourth after being teed up by Bryan Cristante.

Belotti grabbed his second of the night in stoppage time with another header to wrap up a comfortable win for the visitors.

Italy manager Roberto Mancini opted to rotate his side and made 10 changes with qualification for next year's tournament already assured.

Midfielder Marco Verratti was the only man to keep his place in the starting XI and captained an inexperienced team including Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Grifo, Cristante and Nicolo Zaniolo:

#Azzurri 🇮🇹

Mancini's starting XI tonight!

🇱🇮 #LiechtensteinItaly 🇮🇹
🏟 Rheinpark Stadion - Vaduz
🏆 #EuropeanQualifiers
⏱ 20:45 CEST #LIEITA #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/Ted96n1DTl

— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) October 15, 2019

A lively start to the match saw Liechtenstein carve out a chance in the opening minute. Dennis Salanovic got in behind Di Lorenzo and went for goal but his effort was blocked by goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.

Italy then went straight down the other end and opened the scoring. Biraghi was played in by Belotti, who was fouled but play was allowed to continue, and the left-back squared for an unmarked Bernardeschi to smash a powerful effort past the goalkeeper from inside the penalty area:

1:48 - #Bernardeschi's goal against Liechtenstein is the earliest for Italy 🇮🇹 in all competitions since Giaccherini's in June 2013 (after only 18 seconds) in a friendly game v Haiti. Acceleration.#LiechtensteinItalia pic.twitter.com/zyM9y7wwIm

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) October 15, 2019

The early goal suggested it could be a tough night for the hosts, but Italy failed to extend their lead in the first half and Liechtenstein had chances to level. Salanovic was the brightest player on the pitch in the opening 45 minutes and twice forced Sirigu into good saves.

The Italy goalkeeper was almost embarrassed just before half-time after rushing off his line and misjudging a tackle. However, a poor touch from Robin Gubser allowed Sirigu to grab the ball and prevent the midfielder equalising.

The Azzurri appeared more determined after the break and went close early on through Belotti. The Torino striker was picked out in the box but fired a good chance wide and then put another effort into the side-netting minutes later.

Yet Liechtenstein continued to provide a threat on the counter-attack. The lively Salanovic raced forward and curled a shot that tested Sirigu.

Italy's superior quality began to show in the closing stages as they added some gloss to the scoreline and ran out comfortable winners with four goals in the final 20 minutes.

Belotti powered a header across goal and into the net from Grifo's corner from the right, before El Shaarawy picked out Romagnoli to head home the third seven minutes later.

El Shaarawy forced Buchel into another fine save with a fizzing shot that the goalkeeper managed to tip over the crossbar, but did manage to get on the scoresheet after being played in by Cristante.

Belotti wrapped up the win by heading home the fifth from Di Lorenzo's cross, as Italy equalled their record of nine straight wins in all competitions, per Opta.

     

What's Next?

Both teams wrap up their Euro 2020 campaigns during the next international break in November. Italy will play Bosnia and Herzegovina and Armenia, while Liechtenstein are scheduled to face Finland and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Italy have the chance to make history on Tuesday, when they visit Liechtenstein in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying.

Per Football Italia, Roberto Mancini and his troops are one win away from breaking the nation's all-time win-streak record, currently sitting at eight:

Roberto Mancini is one off the all-time record of nine consecutive Italy victories, set by Vittorio Pozzo in 1938-39 https://t.co/5KkE3wIwwx #ITAGRE #VivoAzzurro #ItalyGreece #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/6h6OHammL8

— Football Italia (@footballitalia) October 12, 2019

Bet365 (h/t Oddschecker) have named the Italians overwhelming 1-50 favourites, while the hosts come in at 33-1. A draw carries odds of 20-1.

British fans can watch via Sky Go, while American viewers can tune in using ESPN+. The match will start at 7:45 p.m. BST/2:45 p.m. ET.

   

Liechtenstein are not expected to put up much of a fight, having lost their first match against the Azzurri 6-0 in March.

Here are the highlights of that one-sided contest:

Liechtenstein have collected two points so far, scoring twice and conceding 20 goals. Their most recent outing was a draw against Armenia.

Italy have already won Group J to book their ticket for the Euro 2020 finals, in what has been an excellent qualifying campaign.

After missing on qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Mancini has the Azzurri back on the right track, per sports writer Giancarlo Rinaldi:

Last night was not a thriller from the @azzurri but they unlocked a stubborn Greece in the end. Credit to @robymancio for the work he’s done taking the team from World Cup despair to qualifying with three games to spare. And in green as well. https://t.co/gRmgBcuDnj

— Giancarlo Rinaldi (@ginkers) October 13, 2019

With their spot in the Euro 2020 tournament secured and the weakest team in the group on the schedule, the Italians are likely to rotate the squad and give some of their youngsters and fringe players a chance.

Federico Bernardeschi and Nicolo Zaniolo both came off the bench in Saturday's win over Greece and are likely to get the starting nod this time around.

There could also be minutes in store for the likes of Alessio Romagnoli and Cristiano Biraghi, while Alex Meret could be in goal after an impressive start to the season for Napoli.

Prediction: Liechtenstein 0-3 Italy

Italy secured qualification to UEFA Euro 2020 and top spot in Group J on Saturday by beating a spirited Greece side 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.  

Jorginho broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 63rd minute from the penalty spot after they failed to register a shot on target in the first half.

Federico Bernardeschi added a second from outside the area 15 minutes later to secure the win.

Italy are nine points clear at the top of Group J, having won every game and beaten nearest competitors Finland twice. 

The defeat leaves Greece with just one win in qualification, and that was in their first game of the group against Liechtenstein. With three matches remaining, they are seven points off a qualification place.

Italy failed to test goalkeeper Alexandros Paschalakis in the first half as they struggled to break down the visitors, despite enjoying the lion's share of possession.

No one managed to get on the end of a promising cross from Federico Chiesa, while Lorenzo Insigne blasted a wild shot over when he had the chance to shoot from the edge of the area.

Football Italia's Richard Hall noted their struggles against a resolute Greek defence:

Italy are constantly thwarted when trying to go down the flanks. Greece have figured Mancini’s game plan. In this case then the central midfielders need to take on extra responsibility which so far they are not doing #ItaliaGrecia 🇮🇹

— Richard Hall (@RichHall80) October 12, 2019

The best chance of the half fell to the visitors when Dimitris Limnios forced a save from Gianluigi Donnarumma after a good team move.

Italian football writer Matthew Santangelo wanted to see more from the hosts at half-time:

Also, I hope the second half is different for the Azzurri. Otherwise, my player ratings will be 5’s across the board and just have 💤💤💤.

— Matt Santangelo (@Matt_Santangelo) October 12, 2019

Italy upped their attacking intensity in the second half, and Paschalakis had to be alert to tip a Ciro Immobile header around the post.

The breakthrough came for the Azzurri when Andreas Bouchalakis was penalised for handball after he blocked an Insigne shot with his arm, and Jorginho converted the resulting spot-kick.

Italy were then relieved to see Efthimis Koulouris fire into the side netting when he connected with a delivery across goal from Limnios after Zeca dispossessed Marco Verratti, while Anastasios Bakasetas wasted a gilt-edged opportunity when he mishit a volley from 12 yards.

Bernardeschi killed off the visitors' resistance when his low effort deflected past Paschalakis.

                                  

What's Next

Italy travel to Liechtenstein on Tuesday, while Greece host Bosnia and Herzegovina.