Italy misses chances and draws with Switzerland

Italy did not advance 1-1 in Romania’s Olympic against Switzerland, with a penalty kick missed by Jorge “Jorginho” Frilo in the 90th minute, leaving everything open in Group C in the fight for the first place worthy of qualifying for Qatar 2022.

Italy had the opportunity to put their move to the World Cup almost definitively, after the absence of 2018. In the 90th minute, a generous penalty awarded by English referee Anthony Taylor after a VAR review allowed Jorginho to finish the pass from eleven meters in diameter but the Chelsea midfielder fired at high speed and scared.

Sylvain Widmer’s goal, with his right hand from outside the area, put Switzerland ahead against rhythmic Italy, conditioned on pressure and unable to create scoring opportunities.

Roberto Mancini’s team needed more than half an hour before getting up. He did it first with a chance from Nicolo Barilla, who collided with goalkeeper Jan Sommer after shooting a loose ball into the penalty area, and in the 34th minute, equalized in a rehearsed match.

Lorenzo Insigne suspended an excellent cross that his teammate Giovanni Di Lorenzo sent under the net with a header. Italy pressed for victory early in the second half, despite not being able to create many chances in the face of an alert Swiss defence.

Jorginho, the man who sent Italy to the European Nations Cup final with a penalty in the semi-final against Spain, ended the match poorly, with a powerful shot that kept Switzerland alive and sounded the alarm for the Azzurri.

Italy, which leads by two goals behind Switzerland, will visit Northern Ireland, while the Swiss will play modest Bulgaria.

If they tied, also on goal difference, Switzerland would take first place due to the best results obtained in head-to-head matches (0-0 in Switzerland and 1-1 in Italy).