Italy narrowly past Bosnia 1-0 in the last of their friendlies before the European Championship: a spectacular first-half goal by Davide Frattesi rescued what could have been, for large stretches, a desperately dull game, with Italy unable to make their domination count on the scoreboard.
Close Call: A Hard-Fought Victory
The scoreline does not justify how close it was, as it was a game of missed opportunities for the Azzurri. They enjoyed much of the possession in the game and had several chances created, although Italy seemed disjointed in the final third. It was a moment of class when Frattesi made a class move that started the game for the team, even though they missed out on all the other numerous chances they created, which shows just how wasteful the team have been in front of the goal.
Davide Frattesi scored on his own in the 38th minute. On a perfect pass by Federico Chiesa into the box, Frattesi beat onrushing defenders to it and blasted a first-time volley high into the roof of the net.
Although victorious, it threw up worrying signs for manager Luciano Spalletti as striker Gianluca Scamacca missed several promising chances to underline Italy’s ability in front of the goal from the possession they enjoyed. Questions now will be raised on the finishing potential of the team in front of a more formidable opposition in the Euros.
Bosnia, ranked 74th in the world rankings and already out of any potential contention for Euro 2024, have made it clear they will be more formidable opponents than anyone could ever have imagined. The dangerous start threatened with two quick shots on goal, both denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma. First came the low drive by Haris Hajradinovic, then came an acrobatic tip of Jusuf Gazibegovic’s free-kick over the bar
Voices from the Pitch: Reflections on the Performance
At the end of the match, Davide Frattesi said: “It’s possible to find something more; if we want to be ready, we must put in something else. We created chances, but we’ve got to manage the game better, as we’ll have fewer chances in the group. However, we saw some good things.”
Manager Luciano Spalletti was similarly encouraging like Frattesi, noting the positives from the performance but emphasizing that we must make improvements quickly. ‘We did what we had to do,’ Spalletti told SkySports. ‘We are convinced that we have a good team; we just have to get into the atmosphere of an actual match.
The team played two almost entirely different teams to see them all a bit, giving us the opportunity to tell them what needed improvement.
The Road Ahead: Euro 2024 Awaits
The victory does very minimal in easing the pressure on Italy, who now find themselves in a very tricky Group B alongside the reigning champions, Spain, the 2018 World Cup finalists, Croatia, and the excellent side, Albania. One bright spot, still, is the ever-emerging Davide Frattesi.
The midfielder has quickly become an integral figure for the Azzurri since his debut in June 2022, scoring five goals in 15 appearances to become their top scorer. With the match being a friendly, Spalletti could test his lineup to the fullest, making nine changes from the lineup that drew against Turkey. Most notably, he must strike the correct balance between sustaining that cohesion and entering the next game with a settled lineup.
Italy will open their campaign for Euro 2024 against Albania on the 17th of June, Saturday. They will then play Spain on the 20th of June and close in Croatia four days later.
A Look into the Future
While the win against Bosnia may not have been the dominant performance many expected, it served as a valuable learning experience for Italy. Their attacking lack of edge needs to be sharper, and their defensive resilience, despite allowing the chances, offers a foundation. As the defending champions prepared to face Albania in their opening match, it was with an awareness that improvements were required if they are to repeat past successes on this stage.
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