Frustration for Italy! Back to the Drawing Board for Luciano Spalletti after Insipid Italy were Held to a Goalless Deadlock by Turkey
Italy’s hopes of building momentum ahead of the World Cup were dashed as they were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw by Turkey in a friendly match on Tuesday night. Despite fielding a strong starting lineup that included the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Leonardo Bonucci, and Ciro Immobile, the Azzurri were unable to break down a resolute Turkish defense. The match was played in front of a sparse crowd in Konya, and the home side had the better of the first half, creating several chances that they failed to convert. Italy, meanwhile, struggled to create anything of note and relied on sporadic moments of individual brilliance to threaten the Turkish goal. In the second half, Italy improved slightly and had a few half-chances, but they were unable to find a way through the Turkish defense. Turkey, on the other hand, continued to cause problems on the counterattack and could have snatched a winner late on when Cengiz Ünder hit the post. The result is a major disappointment for Italy, who were hoping to build on their recent victories over Albania and the Czech Republic. It also raises questions about the team’s attacking prowess and their ability to break down stubborn defenses. Italy coach Luciano Spalletti will now have to go back to the drawing board and find a way to improve his team’s attacking output before the World Cup. The Azzurri have one more friendly match left, against San Marino on Saturday, before they head to Qatar. “We did not play well today,” said Spalletti after the match. “We were not aggressive enough and we did not create enough chances. We need to improve our attacking play before the World Cup. “We have one more friendly match left before the World Cup, and we need to use that match to work on our attacking play. We need to find a way to create more chances and to score more goals.”
Frustration for Italy! Back to the drawing board for Luciano Spalletti after insipid Italy were held to a goalless deadlock by Turkey.
Italy’s hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup were dealt a blow on Thursday as they were held to a goalless draw by Turkey in Rome. The result leaves Italy in second place in Group C, three points behind Switzerland, who beat Bulgaria 3-2 earlier in the day. Italy dominated possession but failed to create any clear-cut chances, with their best opportunity coming in the second half when Ciro Immobile hit the post. Turkey defended resolutely and could have snatched a late winner when Cengiz Under fired wide from a good position. The draw was a major disappointment for Italy, who had been expected to beat Turkey at home. It is now clear that they will need to win their remaining two games, against Switzerland and Northern Ireland, to have any chance of qualifying for the World Cup. For Turkey, the draw was a valuable point. They are now in third place in Group C, level on points with Italy but with a better goal difference. They will now be confident of qualifying for the play-offs, which will be contested by the eight best second-placed teams from the 10 European qualifying groups.
Italy:
Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bonucci, Chiellini, Emerson; Barella, Jorginho, Verratti; Chiesa, Immobile, Insigne.
Turkey:
Cakir; Celik, Demiral, Soyuncu, Erkin; Under, Kahveci, Calhanoglu, Yilmaz; Tosun, Karaman.