International Football

Two goals from Federico Chiesa and a Lorenzo Pellegrini penalty saw Italy come from behind to beat Spain 3-1 at the 2019 UEFA Under-21 European Championship on Sunday.

Dani Ceballos opened the scoring in some style after just nine minutes. The Real Madrid midfielder curled the ball into the top corner from just outside the penalty area to give Spain the perfect start.

Yet Italy grabbed a deserved equaliser 10 minutes before half-time to ensure an entertaining opening 45 minutes finished all square.

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Nicolo Barella sprayed a superb crossfield ball out to Chiesa out wide on the left. The Fiorentina winger then burst past Martin Aguirregabiria and beat goalkeeper Unai Simon at his near post.

Chiesa grabbed his second of the match just after the hour mark. Spain failed to clear a ball in the penalty area, allowing the Fiorentina star to pounce on the loose ball and fire home from close range.

Italy sealed the win from the penalty spot after Pellegrini was adjudged to have been pulled back by Carlos Soler after a video assistant referee check. The Roma midfielder made no mistake with his spot-kick, sending Simon the wrong way to seal the win.

Both teams named strong squads for the opening game of the tournament. Italy included Juventus forward Moise Kean in their attack, while Real Madrid trio Ceballos, Borja Mayoral and Jesus Vallejo all started for Spain:

La Rojita started the game well and broke the deadlock early courtesy of Ceballos' fine strike:

Ceballos was named the Player of the Tournament in 2017 and seemed to have picked up where he left off in the early stages of the match as Spain dominated possession.

Commentator Matteo Bonetti was impressed with Spain in the opening exchanges:

However, Italy managed to work their way back into the game, pressing their opponents high up the pitch and fully deserved their equaliser through Chiesa.

Sports journalist Robbie Dunne was critical of goalkeeper Simon's part in the goal:

The hosts then suffered a blow before the break, as midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo was forced off with a head injury and replaced by Riccardo Orsolini.

Carlos Soler tested goalkeeper Alex Meret after the break with a fierce shot that was tipped over the crossbar, but it was Italy who struck the decisive blow through the impressive Chiesa.

Substitute Patrick Cutrone latched on to a ball into the penalty area and did well to hold up play. He was eventually dispossessed by Spain, but the ball fell kindly to Chiesa, who made no mistake with the finish:

Italy extended their advantage further with just eight minutes of normal time remaining when Soler was penalised for a tug on Pellegrini.

The midfielder coolly rolled the ball past Simon to secure all three points and cap a fine individual display:

The result is the perfect start to the tournament for the hosts against tough opposition and will give the Azzurrini confidence they can progress to the knockout stages as winners of Group A.

What's Next?

Both teams play their second group game on Wednesday. Italy take on Poland, while Spain face Belgium.

Marco Verratti came to Italy's rescue with an 86th-minute winner on Tuesday as they beat Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-1 to retain a three-point lead at the top of Group J in UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying.

Edin Dzeko fired in a surprise opener for the visitors after 33 minutes at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, but Lorenzo Insigne responded with a thunderous equaliser three minutes into the second half.

Verratti completed the comeback with only a few minutes left to keep Italy perfect in the group and maintain their resurgence on the international stage.

Finland beat Liechtenstein 2-0 in their Group J matchup to keep up the pace at the table summit and stay within three points of Italy.      

Bosnia applied much of the early pressure in terms of attempts on goal and were hoping to avoid another scoreless result after losing 2-0 in Finland on Saturday.

Italy have a long-standing reputation for keeping things tight defensively, but AS Roma striker Dzeko is used to devastating Italian audiences from his time in Serie A.

He found his route past Italy goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu in the 32nd minute following some fine work down the right from namesake Edin Visca and side-footed in from short range.

OptaPaolo illustrated how rare a feat it was for the visiting side:

Sirigu was put under pressure early on in the second half and produced several good saves, but it was Italy who got the first goal after the restart to level through a sensational Insigne volley.

An Italy corner was deflected high into the air, and the Turin crowd were re-energised after Insigne shaped up and drilled his volley into the left side of Bosnia's net.

Benchwarmers reacted as many might to such a wonderfully technical hit:

Italy had a much greater effect on Bosnia's goal in the second half and accounted for more than two thirds of possession, per Flashscores.com, but the chances weren't falling as required in front of goal.

Azzurri manager Roberto Mancini had been unbeaten at home as Italy manager coming into Tuesday's clash, a record he would have been keen to preserve.

Luckily for him, star men Insigne and Verratti came up with a composed, simple passage of play in the 86th minute to decide the fixture and keep Italy on course for first in Group J.

Napoli's speedster cut to the left side before pulling back to Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Verratti. Broadcaster Matteo Bonetti couldn't believe the space he was allowed in such territory:

The clinical touches of two team leaders narrowly avoided an embarrassment in Turin, though Italy's defence suffered a wake-up call in the process.

Bosnia will rue this as a chance spurned after they led going in at the break, and their prospects of Euro 2020 qualification are slowly drifting away.

What's Next?

Italy and Bosnia will resume their Euro 2020 qualifying campaigns in September when they'll face Armenia and Lichtenstein, respectively.

This article will be updated to provide more information soon.

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Italy beat Greece 3-0 in Group J qualification for the 2020 UEFA European Championship on Saturday through first-half goals from Nicolo Barella, Lorenzo Insigne and Leonardo Bonucci.

Barella slotted home the opener from striker Andrea Belotti's low cross after 23 minutes, before Insigne and Bonucci quickly added further strikes to make it 3-0 at the interval, and there was no way back for the hosts.

Recap

Italy did not have to get out of second gear to collect three points against a poor Greek team in Athens; the home side appeared motivated in the opening moments but crumbled as soon as they conceded.

Belotti was the architect for the first goal of the night. The Torino hit man turned provider from the left to assist Barella, and the 22-year-old made no mistake to break the deadlock.

Insigne then struck a curling effort to perfection seven minutes later to double his side's lead

Just three minutes passed before Bonucci hammered the ball home from a corner to effectively seal the three points, with the second half a non-event as the Italians saw out the game.

Greece had fleeting attempts to beat Italy goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu, but the Torino stopper was equal to the efforts on his goal.

Italy have maximum points from their opening three qualification games, with Greece in third with four points.

What's Next

Both nations are back in Euro 2020 qualification action on Tuesday. Greece welcome Armenia, while Italy host Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Netherlands defender Virgil van Dijk has warned his team-mates not to focus solely on the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo when his side face Portugal in the UEFA Nations League final on Sunday. 

The Dutch made it to the showpiece of the inaugural competition on Thursday, as they came from behind against England to win 3-1 after extra time. They will now be seeking to win the competition against the host nation.

If they are to be victorious, the Dutch will need to find a way to limit the influence of Ronaldo, who scored a brilliant hat-trick against Switzerland in Portugal's semi-final success. However, Van Dijk has said the Oranje must be wary of other threats their opponents possess, per Dejan Kalinic of Goal.

"We'll see," he said. "It's not only Cristiano Ronaldo we're going to face. We face a great Portugal. We will see what's going to happen. I'm looking forward to playing this final with this team, and we're going to give everything that we can to hopefully hold that trophy in the end and do everyone proud."

The match will be intriguing for a number of reasons, although the battle between Ronaldo and Van Dijk—arguably the best centre-forward and best defender in the game, respectively—will be a fascinating subplot:

While a number of players in the two semi-finals appeared a little jaded at the end of a long season, Ronaldo was incredibly sharp in the win over Switzerland. 

He opened the scoring with a fantastic free-kick and then rounded off his hat-trick in trademark style in the second half:

In recent years, Ronaldo has has adapted his game to become more of a penalty-box player, but for Portugal he seems to have more freedom under manager Fernando Santos.

With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how the Dutch look to combat the Juventus star, as he roamed across the front line in the win over Switzerland. As a result, there may be spells in the game when Van Dijk and his defensive partner Matthijs de Ligt aren't directly up against the 34-year-old.

As Van Dijk notes, there are other quality operators in the Portugal team, with Bernardo Silva, Joao Felix and Bruno Fernandes all in the starting XI against the Swiss. 

But as ESPN FC's Liam Twomey noted, those stars struggled to stamp their authority on the game in the semi-final:

In Van Dijk, the Netherlands have a player who is at the peak of his powers, having shone for Liverpool in their successful UEFA Champions League push. For his country, Van Dijk has developed into a tremendous leader since being handed the captain's armband too.

With talismanic figures in exceptional form on both sides, Sunday's final is set to be a treat. For Van Dijk, getting the better of Ronaldo in a high-profile game would be a fitting way to cap an exceptional season.

Amsterdam, March 2018. Two former international centre-backs sit back in their red dugout seats and try to assess how their respective teams are faring with the tactical systems they are testing out.

In the away dugout sits England manager Gareth Southgate. He has chosen this friendly fixture to premiere an eyebrow-raising 3-5-2 formation in which Kyle Walker has been redeployed as a right-sided centre-back.

His opposite number is Ronald Koeman, who is taking charge of the Netherlands national team for the first time. He, too, opts for a back three, but the experiment proves underwhelming. England dominate proceedings and win 1-0 courtesy of Jesse Lingard's first international goal.

The two teams look to be on very different trajectories. Adopting the same system that Southgate first tried out in Amsterdam, England travel to the World Cup on a wave of positivity and make it all the way to the semi-finals. Koeman's players watch events in Russia from afar, having failed to qualify for a second major tournament in succession.

But a spectacular turnaround in Dutch fortunes means that when Southgate and Koeman shake hands at Estadio D. Afonso Henriques in the Portuguese city of Guimaraes on Thursday ahead of the UEFA Nations League semi-final between their teams, they will do so on an equal footing. The Netherlands' resurgence, which saw them top their Nations League group above France and Germany, has taken even Koeman himself by surprise.

The Netherlands' failure to qualify for last year's World Cup left football in the country at what was seen as a historic low ebb. Newspaper headlines at home and abroad spoke of a "crisis" in the Dutch game.

By the time Koeman took up his role in February last year, Robin van Persie—the Netherlands' all-time leading scorer—was already fading from view on the international scene. With Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben choosing to retire from international football in the aftermath of the World Cup qualifying failure, Koeman found himself in charge of a squad that had suddenly become 332 caps and 118 international goals lighter.

Any changing room would have felt the absence of three such experienced and decorated footballers, but Koeman saw it as an opportunity.

"With the big lads gone, there is space for the younger players to step into that space and show what they are made of," he said in a December 2018 interview with Dutch Soccer Site.

Koeman continued to road-test a back three in friendly games, but he abandoned the system after his side lost 2-1 to world champions France in their opening Nations League group game in September.

The Netherlands' next fixture, at home to Germany in October, was when everything clicked into place. Aligned in a classic Dutch 4-3-3, with Frenkie de Jong running the midfield and Memphis Depay leading the line, Koeman's side took a 30th-minute lead when Virgil van Dijk headed in from close range.

After riding their luck at times in the second half, the Netherlands killed off Germany in the latter stages; Depay smuggled a shot past Manuel Neuer from Quincy Promes' pass before Georginio Wijnaldum waltzed through a dispirited back line to set the seal on a 3-0 success.

Joachim Low's Germany were going through a crisis of their own, having lost six times in 10 matches, but nothing could take the shine off the Netherlands' win. They had not beaten their old rivals since 2002 and had never previously defeated them by a three-goal margin.

"It's like Scotland getting a big win against England—imagine what that does to the mood of Scottish football," said Jan-Hermen de Bruijn, editor-in-chief of Dutch football magazine ELF Voetbal. "The same thing happened to Dutch football. That game changed everything."

As the official UEFA interpreter for the game, De Bruijn was able to keep a close eye on the Netherlands' players during the build-up. He detected within the squad a renewed sense of confidence, which he attributed to the fact that both Ajax and PSV Eindhoven had made positive starts to the season.

PSV had a perfect record in the Eredivisie after eight games, while Ajax had impressed in the UEFA Champions League, breezing past Sturm Graz, Standard Liege and Dynamo Kiev in the qualifying rounds and then gaining a creditable 1-1 draw away to Bayern Munich in the group phase.

"Ajax were winning games in a way that looked like Dutch football from some time ago: with dominating, attacking football, skilful football," De Bruijn told Bleacher Report.

"PSV had lost to Barcelona [4-0 in the Champions League], but they'd played well for the first 75 minutes. Ajax and, to a lesser extent, PSV had shown that in international games, Dutch teams weren't automatically pushovers."

As Ajax advanced unbeaten through the Champions League group stage and continued to rack up thumping wins in the Eredivisie, the idea took hold that classic, proactive Dutch-style football might still have a place at the very highest level. In Van Dijk's eyes, Ajax's run to the Champions League semi-finals "put Ajax and Dutch football back on the map."

Confirmation that the Netherlands were back arrived in mid-November, when France were beaten 2-0 in Rotterdam, with Wijnaldum breaking the deadlock shortly before half-time and Depay adding a second with a delightful stoppage-time Panenka. Had it not been for France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, the visitors might have taken a battering.

Three days later, in Gelsenkirchen, Koeman's men showed there was steel to go with the silk. Trailing 2-0 to Germany with five minutes remaining, the Netherlands hit back through Promes before emergency striker Van Dijk volleyed home an equaliser in added time to send his side to the finals.

Just as with Ajax, the poster boys for the new-look Netherlands team are the preternaturally gifted duo of the 19-year-old centre-back Matthijs de Ligt and the 22-year-old De Jong. But not all Koeman's players are youthful newcomers.

Of the eight players who started all four of the Netherlands' Nations League group games, De Ligt and De Jong are the only ones aged under 25. Goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen is 30, Liverpool pair Van Dijk and Wijnaldum (who have brought their own Champions League-generated momentum to the squad) are 27 and 28, respectively, while Daley Blind is 29, Depay 25 and the rejuvenated Ryan Babel 32.

The artistry that runs throughout the team is offset by the industry supplied by players such as PSV right-back Denzel Dumfries, who made his debut in the 3-0 win over Germany, and Atalanta midfielder Marten de Roon.

No player symbolises the Netherlands' transformation better than Depay. Dismissed as a flop after his disappointing spell at Manchester United and occasionally mocked for his prodigious Instagram output, the Lyon forward has benefited from the lack of competition for places at centre-forward to become a roving attacking figurehead for the national team.

"Depay loves to be made [to feel] important and Ronald Koeman has done that," explained De Bruijn.

"He man-managed Depay from the first moment in a very special way: travelling to Lyon several times and spending time with him, giving him self-confidence and convincing the other players that when he loses the ball in a silly way, they have to do extra work to win it back. In almost every game, he's repaid them by scoring goals."

Koeman revealed to Dutch Soccer Site that having children of Depay's age has changed his view of the former PSV player's activities on social media. "I see the Instagram clips and think, oh well...That cigar wasn't needed for me, but at the same time, I think, 'So what?'" he said. "If Memphis enjoys doing those little clips: fine. Let him."

Depay, who has scored eight goals in 12 games under Koeman, provided an image that encapsulated the Netherlands' renaissance when he was pictured being swamped by beaming team-mates while celebrating his impudent penalty against France in November.

Koeman credits the move to the Royal Dutch Football Association's new, more intimate training base in Zeist, east of Utrecht, with helping to facilitate "more bonding" within the squad. Whereas previous Dutch squads have been riven by personality clashes, the current cohort seems to be a more cohesive unit.

When Germany claimed a measure of revenge for their Nations League relegation by beating the Netherlands 3-2 in Euro 2020 qualifying in March, there was no handwringing in the Dutch sports press. Koeman held his hands up after the game and admitted that, after once again seeing his team come from 2-0 down to level against Germany, he should have shut up shop and settled for a point.

Having finished the season with five goals in 12 games for Ajax, Donny van de Beek is pushing hard for a starting spot in Portugal, with Koeman saying the blond midfielder is "knocking on the door...much louder than before."

But in the main, the former Everton manager has indicated that he intends to keep faith with the men who proved themselves during the group phase, which helps to explain why players such as Wout Weghorst, the prolific Wolfsburg striker who scored 17 goals in the Bundesliga, failed to make the final cut.

Southgate might not have things all his own way when Koeman next crosses his path. The Dutch have rediscovered their soul.

Norway hammered Honduras 12-0 at the Under-20 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, with Erling Braut Haaland on the scoresheet an incredible nine times. 

The forward is the son of former Norway, Manchester City and Leeds United midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland and he capitalised to great effect in a game where Honduras ended up with nine men:

Scouted Football provided more details regarding Haaland's display:

Per the FIFA website, the 12-goal win is the biggest in the history of the competition. 

Unsurprisingly, Haaland's haul of nine goals is also a record, comfortably surpassing the six scored by Adailton in the 10-3 win registered by Brazil against South Korea in 1997.

The 18-year-old is currently on the books of Red Bull Salzburg, although he has been linked with Manchester United in the past.

According to a report from Liam Prenderville of the Daily Mirror in July 2018, the Red Devils sent scouts to watch Haaland during his time as a Molde player; current United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was in charge of the Norwegian outfit at the time.

Haaland eventually moved to Salzburg in January this year and has scored one goal in two appearances for the first team.

Despite the massive win for Norway, their place in the knockout stage of the competition is not certain. They finished third in their pool and need to wait to see if they are one of the best third-placed teams from the six groups, with four progressing into the last-16.

Guinea coach Paul Put said he wants a "second medical opinion" on Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita's adductor injury to see if he will be fit to play at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

The midfielder was forced off with the problem during Wednesday's UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg defeat to Barcelona, and Reds boss Jurgen Klopp told reporters after the match he would be out for "at least two months."

Put told the Federation's Facebook page (h/t BBC Sport's Mohamed Fajah Barrie) that he is seeking further information to determine exactly how long the midfielder will be out of action.

"We want a second medical opinion and we are seeking the expertise of the doctor in Switzerland who Keita always contacts whenever he's injured.

"The first report from Liverpool is a third degree injury. Normally such an injury can take six weeks to heal. But I don't know because I'm not a doctor, I don't have medical experience. I have spoken to Keita and we have communicated to Liverpool asking for their medical report.

"We hope to get the doctor's report next week and we'll compare it with the a second opinion report from the doctor in Switzerland. Then we'll know whether Keita will be available to play the Nations cup."

Klopp said the injury was "bad news" for Liverpool and for Guinea ahead of the summer's tournament, as shown by Sky Sports News:

The midfielder will miss Liverpool's remaining Premier League fixtures against Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as the second leg of their Champions League tie against Barcelona.

However, the Guinea coach is evidently hoping he may be fit to play some part in the Africa Cup of Nations, which starts in June in Egypt. 

Guinea have been drawn in Group B with Madagascar and Burundi, who are both in the tournament for the first time, as well as Nigeria. Their first game is against Madagascar on June 22 in Alexandria. 

Guinea Football Federation president Antonio Souare has reportedly been critical of Liverpool and said Keita will play in Egypt:

Keita's injury has come at a bad time, as the midfielder had started to round into form after a difficult first season at Liverpool following his summer move from RB Leipzig.

It remains to be seen if he will be fit to play any part of Guinea's Africa Cup of Nations campaign, but if he does fail to recover in time, he will be a big miss for Put's team.  

Italy have the ideal chance to continue their perfect start to UEFA European Championship qualifying on Tuesday, when they face Liechtenstein at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in Parma.

Manager Roberto Mancini saw his side negotiate the more challenging of their two fixtures in this double header of games, as they put in a professional performance to beat Finland 2-0 on Saturday. The fact youngsters Nicolo Barella and Moise Kean got on the scoresheet would also have delighted the coach. 

Liechtenstein are unlikely to cause any problems for Italy—or for the rest of the sides in Group J—as they are the weakest of the six teams in the pool by a large margin. The aim for them on Tuesday will be emerging from the clash without being on the wrong end of a hammering.

Here are the key details for this fixture, including the latest odds and viewing information.

Date: Tuesday, March 26

Time: 7:45 p.m. (GMT), 3:45 p.m. (ET)

TV Info: Sky Sports Red Button (UK), ESPN+ (U.S.)

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Watch ESPN (U.S.)

Odds

Italy win (1-41)

Draw (50-1)

Liechtenstein win (200-1)

Odds courtesy of Oddschecker

Preview

Having spoken a lot about the future of the Italy team recently, Mancini would have been so pleased to see some of the next generation of players make their mark against Finland.

Barella has been enjoying an excellent season with Cagliari and showed off his goalscoring potential from midfield against Finland with just seven minutes on the clock. His deflected effort from the edge of the box was his first goal for the Azzurri.

In the second half, it was Kean's time to shine, as he ensured the game was safe with his first strike for the national side in the 74th minute.

As we can see, the goal was a historic one for Italy, with the 19-year-old becoming the second-youngest player to score for the team:

Italian football journalist David Amoyal commented on how willing Mancini is to give younger players a chance:

The Juventus starlet showcased a brilliant burst of speed and a composed finish to score (UK only):

With plenty of positives to come out of the Finland win, it's unlikely Mancini will deviate from the same setup too much against Liechtenstein.

Although there are plenty of rising stars in the squad, they are complimented by the experience of Giorgio Chiellini, Marco Verratti and Leonardo Bonucci.

Following their failure to qualify for last summer's FIFA World Cup, it means Italy are unlikely to have any major issues in their group ahead of next year's Euro 2020 showpiece.

Per Scouted Football, there was a refreshing feel to the team at the start of this set of qualification matches:

Liechtenstein don't have the quality within their ranks to make Tuesday's game a testing one for Italy. On Saturday, they were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Greece, and their only win in their last nine matches came against Gibraltar in the UEFA Nations League.

With that in mind, Italy will be expected to win by a healthy margin. With plenty of confidence and positivity accrued from Saturday's victory, expect the Azzurri to give the Parma crowd plenty to enjoy.

Prediction: Italy 4-0 Liechtenstein

Italy started their UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Finland on Saturday, as Moise Kean bagged his debut goal for the Azzurri on his first start.

Nicolo Barella opened the scoring early with a deflected effort, but Italy never got comfortable in the first half, as Finland gave them a good game. The hosts improved after the break, however, and Kean doubled the advantage with a strong finish.

His goal made him the second-youngest scorer in Azzurri history:

Fabio Quagliarella celebrated his return to the national team setup after an absence of over 3,000 days:

The Azzurri needed to kick off their campaign in Group J on the right foot, with tricky clashes against Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the horizon.

Mancini's Youthful Approach the Way Forward for Azzurri

Italy manager Roberto Mancini has committed himself to rebuilding the Azzurri, and he continued the trend on Saturday by handing two more players their starting debut and relying on youngsters elsewhere.

Barella, Kean―more on him later―and Gianluigi Donnarumma are but three youngsters expected to play a massive role for the team in the near future, while the likes of Nicolo Zaniolo and Federico Chiesa should be locks to start soon enough. The latter likely would have if not for injury:

On top of those youngsters, Mancini has also relied heavily on older newcomers and fringe players who didn't have a major role with the team in the past. Leonardo Spinazzola, Cristiano Piccini, Vincenzo Grifo and Leonardo Pavoletti are hardly the star names we've come to associate with the Azzurri in recent years.

But those big stars couldn't get the job done, culminating in the Italians missing out on the 2018 FIFA World Cup. It was a dark period in the long history of the Azzurri, and it marked the beginning of a transition to a new generation.

Those up-and-coming players have a ton of talent, and it was no coincidence one of them opened the scoring on Saturday:

Group J is one of the tougher qualifying groups because of its depth, and Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina could give the Azzurri a real scare. But Mancini has to persist with his current approach, knowing full well the old guard might win him some matches but is no longer capable of competing with the top teams on the continent.

The youngsters might be able to in a few years, and giving them the chance to develop now could yield major dividends down the line.

Moise Kean Will Be a Superstar

Chiesa, Barella, Zaniolo and Donnarumma all have superstar potential, but the most talented of the group of youngsters is undoubtedly Juventus' top prospect, Kean.

The 19-year-old made history on Saturday, becoming the youngest attacker to start for the Azzurri in over a century:

Mancini put his faith in the youngster despite the fact Kean has made just two starts all season, with one coming in Serie A. But even though he played out of position―out wide while Ciro Immobile started centrally―he delivered, and it was poor decision-making around him that stopped him from making a bigger impact in the first half.

Piccini missed from close range after a wonderful dribble and even better pass from Kean, and Federico Bernardeschi completely fluffed his cross while his Juventus team-mate was wide-open for a tap-in.

He kept up his strong play after the break and was finally rewarded with a goal on the counter, producing an excellent finish to give goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky no chance.

Kean has almost limitless potential, combining excellent physical tools and technique with vision and natural finishing ability. If it wasn't for the fact Juventus employ one Cristiano Ronaldo, he likely would be a starter at the club level already,

It's only a matter of time before that changes, and it will be the next step on Kean's road to superstardom. Italy have been crying out for a truly elite striker for years, and the Azzurri have finally found him.

What's Next?

Both teams return to the pitch on Tuesday, when Italy host Liechtenstein and Finland visit Armenia.

U.S. Women's National Team goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris and Orlando Pride teammate Ali Krieger will marry later this year after the pair confirmed their engagement on Wednesday.

People's Jason Duaine Hahn reported the announcement, noting how the two met and became close as former teammates at international level back in 2010.

Harris revealed the plans for marriage, while Krieger explained why she accepted a proposal from the 33-year-old: "I think that I'm very quiet and reserved. Since being with Ash, I really feel like I've blossomed into the woman that I want to be, and she's helped me become the woman I am."

Harris explained what attracted her to Krieger: "It was her big, beautiful brown eyes. She has these unbelievable tiger eyes. I just felt like every time she was talking, I wasn't even paying attention to what she was saying."

Krieger said the pair kept their relationship under wraps to avoid it becoming a distraction. Harris said both agreed "now is the right time" to declare the relationship publicly and described it as a "massive weight off of my shoulders."

Hahn detailed how the engagement proposal took place during a picnic at Clearwater Beach on September 15 of last year.