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Italy beat Bulgaria 2-0 in Sofia to make it two wins in as many games in their ongoing 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. Two goals in each half ensured the visitors walked away with all three points from the Bulgarian capital.
Andrea Belotti scored the ninth away goal of his international career as he converted a penalty on the brink of half-time. Substitute midfielder Andrea Locatelli then made it two nil for Italy late on as Bulgaria struggled with less than 32% possession in the game.
Italy were far from their best, but Roberto Mancini’s side are now 24 games unbeaten across all competitions. In the process, the visitors also recorded their fifth-successive clean sheet in competitive outings.
With the win, Italy overtake Switzerland for the top spot in 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualification Group C, On that note, let's take a look at five talking points from the match in Sofia.
#1 Italy survive early Bulgarian pressure
The first few exchanges of the game saw the hosts press Italy's backline with high intensity.
But the Azzurri were able to see throughout that period, as their experienced defence of Leonardo Bonucci, Alessandro Florenzi and Francesco Acerbi didn't let their guard down. Even goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was assured and excellent in his ball distribution.
However, Bulgaria dropped their defensive intensity in the final third. As the game progressed, Yasen Petrov’s side went from a high line to a really low block. That was meant to counter the constant Italian overload, but the move backfired.
Apparently, the only way to keep Italy quiet was to take the game to them by applying pressure high upfield.
Not just in their own half, Roberto Mancini’s men also had the upper hand in the middle of the park. Despite being man-marked by Bulgaria, Italy were able to transition very seamlessly from defence to attack.
#2 Andrea Belotti scores from the spot in Jorginho’s absence
Jorginho’s knee injury meant Stefano Sensi took up the number six role in the Italy midfield. But there was more to the change in the centre of the park than just tactics.
The Chelsea man's absence meant Italy were without their first-choice penalty taker. When Daniel Dimov fouled Andrea Belotti in the box in the 42nd minute, there seemed many interested parties for the spot-kick.
However, Belotti stepped up and slotted the ball past Plamen Iliev to make it 1-0 for the visitors. That was just his second goal in six competitive fixtures.
But the Torino forward, apart from that penalty, had a quiet afternoon but did strike the woodwork late on as Italy looked to end the game as a contest.
However, Belotti had no shot on goal apart from the penalty, and he won only three of his seven duels on the night. With a lot of competition from Ciro Immobile and Lorenzo Pellegrini, Belotti needs to step up soon.
#3 Bulgaria take the Catenaccio route
Though Yasen Petrov is known for playing a 3-man defence, it seemed strange that the Bulgarian coach stuck to his roots against Italy.
The reason behind it being Italy’s familiarity with the system and an ease of playing against the same. Surprisingly, that caught Roberto Mancini off guard. The Lavovete were so good in their implementation of the wing-back system with the 3-man backline that Italy had to adapt.
The visitors switched to a 3-4-3 from their initial 4-3-3 formation, which meant Leonardo Spinazzola took to the flanks and played a left wing-back role, with Francesco Acerbi taking to the left centre-back role. That was a respectable feat achieved by the home side, who were otherwise dominated during the entire game.
However, Italy soon nullified Bulgaria's dangerous wing-backs Cicinho and Momchil Tsvetanov. With their main supply line cut off, Bulgaria ended up with almost no significant scoring chances on Sunday.
#4 Leonardo Spinazzola shines in an unimpressive Italy win
In a game marred by missed chances, one player surely caught the eye. AS Roma full-back Leonardo Spinazzola was probably Italy’s best player on the pitch.
Technically sound and a perfect implementer of Roberto Mancini’s tactics, the 28-year-old was brilliant in both the defensive as well as offensive exchanges on Sunday.
Supplying the Italian forwards from the left flank on nearly every run forward, Spinazzola was a livewire in the first half. He took a more defensive role in the second, but that doesn’t take anything away from his amazing performance in the opening 45 minutes.
Italy's high defensive line meant the left-back was exposed to defensively. But there was never a moment when he looked out of position. In fact, his man-marking and defensive work-rate high up the field took out Cicinho from the game, as the Bulgarian winger never seemed to find his footing all match.
#5 Manuel Locatelli scores his first Italy goal
After some good exchanges with Lorenzo Insigne, substitute Manuel Locatelli curled an effort onto the far post to make it 2-0 for the away side with ten minutes left.
The finish was as beautiful as the buildup to the goal as Locatelli opened his scoring account for Italy.
The introduction of Ciro Immobile spiced up the game in the last 15 minutes. The Napoli forward was allowed a free-roaming role by Mancini. That led to much-needed fluidity in the Italian frontline. The creative freedom in the final third culminated with Locatelli's goal, but that was not the end of it.
Injury time also provided a glimpse of what Italy were capable of. A counter-attack led by Nicolo Barella unleashed Immobile through on goal. However, his fabulous effort was tipped away by Plamen Iliev for a corner.
