Italy 2-1 Saudi Arabia
International friendly results matter little, but for Italy and new boss Roberto Mancini, it means a lot.
After failing to qualify for World Cup 2018, the Azzurri hit rock-bottom. The Italians have never failed to qualify for the big event in over half a century, but a string of bad results pushed them into fighting for their lives in a play-off last November.
They eventually lost to the Swedes, marking only the second time in their history that they won’t play in the FIFA World Cup. Mancini has since taken over the national side, replacing the sacked Giampiero Ventura.
That failure is why their win at Kybunpark over Saudi Arabia—a team headed to the summer spectacle—holds great importance. It is still a friendly sure, but it is the first step to their return to world football dominance.
Meanwhile, for the Green Falcons, this a great learning experience. International friendly betting odds labelled them as huge underdogs ahead of the match, but they managed to stay close to the Italians and show that they won’t go down without a fight.
Highlights of the game
Mario Balotelli stole the show in his return to the Italian national team, scoring the opener to give Mancini a winning start as manager.
The Nice frontman, who hasn’t featured for the team since the 2014 World Cup, was recalled by Mancini after scoring 26 goals for his club this season. He then made sure to repay the trust that the new manager has placed on his shoulders, sparking the Azzurri to victory by scoring an emphatic solo goal on 21 minutes to break the deadlock.
Balotelli showed great and skilfull movement for the opener, twisting past a Saudi defender before firing from 20 yards to beat goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais.
Italy were the more aggressive side on the attack, and they were rewarded with another goal when substitute Andrea Belotti scored eight minutes after the hour mark.
Off a corner kick from Giacomo Bonaventura, Belotti received the ball and headed it towards the goal only for Al-Owais to deflect the shot. Nonetheless, the 24-year-old Torino forward kept the sequence going and rebounded the ball to turn it home.
The Green Falcons, however, found some hope ahead of the World Cup 2018 group stage as Yahya Al-Shehri cut the lead in the 73rd minute. Italy’s Davide Zappacosta lost possession and the Saudis took advantage to allow the Al-Nassr midfielder to score into an empty net.
Saudi Arabia had the chance to equalise through Fahad Al-Muwallad, but Gianluigi Donnarumma—who replaced Gianluigi Buffon as the nation’s No.1—repelled the 23-year-old’s close-range attempt.
Key statistics
The two teams shared possession evenly, but it was the Italians’ aggressiveness that stood out. They registered 22 shots (five on target) and were rightly rewarded with the victory.
In contrast, Saudi Arabia had only three real chance to score. It didn’t help the Green Falcons that they allowed Italy to have 11 corners.
On the other hand, it was a memorable game for Balotelli. After four years of exile from the Italy set-up, he scored his first goal since his match-winner against England in their opening fixture in the Brazil World Cup group stage.
Belotti’s goal, meanwhile, is the striker’s fifth international goal after just 16 appearances with the team.
What’s next
Italy still have two friendlies scheduled against France and the Netherlands. While the game with the Dutchmen provides an interesting storyline as a battle between two heavyweights that will miss the World Cup, it is their meeting with the Frenchmen that is one to watch.
If the Azzurri want to make a statement, there’s no better way to do it than against a team that is considered one of the favourites to lift the FIFA 2018 trophy this July.
However, Mancini—who admitted his delight with his first win—said that he will probably mix up his Starting XI against Les Bleus.
“Other players will play against France, probably younger ones,” Mancini said. “It [Italy vs Saudi Arabia] was my first match and it was important to win it.”
“I can’t make definitive judgments, above all because we’re at the end of the season and the players have used up a lot of energy this year. … But I liked their enthusiasm at the start. It was an emotional night for me, especially when they played the national anthem.”
Meanwhile, for Saudi Arabia, they have a chance to bounce back when they play Peru next week. Their international friendly with Germany is also quite interesting in order to assess how they will fare against the best of the best.
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