Italy 1-1 Switzerland: 5 talking points as Azzurri are held in tense draw after Jorginho's late penalty miss | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers

Italy and Switzerland played out a tense 1-1 draw in Rome in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on Friday (November 12. The result leaves Group C hanging in the balance ahead of the final gameweek.

Silvan Widmer's stunning early opener for the visitors was canceled out by Giovanni Di Lorenzo before the break. Both sides were guilty of missing some good chances throughout the game.

Nicolo Barella executed a poor close-range shot right at Yann Sommer while Jorginho missed a penalty for the Azzurri in the 89th minute. Then in stoppage-time, Andi Zeqiri made a mess of a gilt-edged chance in the final third, as the nervy encounter ended in a share of the spoils.

Italy, however, will feel they should've really finished the job here. They managed 64% possession, completed nearly twice as many passes as Switzerland and, most importantly, were playing on home soil.

All's not lost yet for either team, however, as attention now turns towards their final games. The Euro 2020 champions travel to Northern Ireland while Switzerland will host Bulgaria in the final showdown for a direct World Cup spot.

Here are the major talking points from the game:

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#5 Switzerland catch Italy on the break

Silvan Widmer rounded off a stunning counter with an equally stunning finish

Against the run of play, the Swiss snatched an early lead over the Euro champions last night, thanks to a well-executed counter-attack. But the home side also deserve some blame for switching off defensively.

As a throw-in was played, La Nati were quick to react, with Ricardo Rodriguez dispossessing Federico Cheisa. Denis Zakaria then squared the ball to Xherdan Shaqiri, who released Noah Okafor down the left.

The Swiss No.9 ran up the pitch, outpacing Francesco Acerbi, before laying it off for Silvan Widmer to produce a fine finish into the far post.

Now, the gap Italy left between him and the onrushing Widmer was staggering to say the least, as he drove forward unchallenged. The Azzurri then failed to close the angle before he got his shot away to let in a disappointing goal.

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#4 Italy pull level through clever free-kick

Giovanni Di Lorenzo bundled home the equalizer roughly half an hour after Switzerland's opener.

With the Rossocrociati looking bright following their early opener, Italy needed a moment of inspiration. They did get it through Nicolo Barella, but he made a mess of a gilt-edged chance from close-range.

Luckily, just past the half-hour mark, they won a free-kick on the edge of the Swiss box on the left. Lorenzo Insigne and Emerson both stood over it and the latter produced a clever dummy that unsettled the Switzerland wall.

Insigne then raced back to hook in a fine cross that was converted home by Di Lorenzo with a glancing header past Yann Sommer. And just like that, Italy were level.

#3 Two big misses at both ends ensured late drama

Jorginho fired his effort from the spot harmlessly over the bar.

As mentioned earlier, Barella could have done better with his chance in the first-half to draw Italy level with Switzerland. But that miss was put to shame by some terrible play from Jorginho and Zeqiri in the second half.

Both players were guilty of missing crucial opportunities in the dying moments of the game for their respective sides. The chances ensured some squeaky bum time at the Stadio Olimpico.

Italy won a penalty in the 89th minute after Domenico Berardi was fouled inside the area by Ulisses Garcia. It was a golden opportunity to snatch a late winner and clinch the group. Penalty specialist Jorginho stepped up to take it and slammed his effort over the bar in a stunning miss.

It was Jorginho's third miss in succession for the Azzurri and second against Switzerland.

It was a huge let-off for the visitors, who then broke into another dangerous-looking counter in the second minute of stoppage-time.

Zakaria was then dispossessed at the edge of the box. However, Davide Calabria's backpass wasn't handled well by Gianluigi Donnarumma, with Zakaria then squaring the loose ball to Zeqiri. The 22-year-old just had to tap home into an empty net.

But Zeqiri's first touch was poor, allowing Leonardo Bonucci to step in and smash the ball clear for a corner. Switzerland had their hands on their heads and understandably so.

Just imagine what could've been had either of those chances gone in!

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#2 Euro 2020 triumph a distant memory for Italy

Italy aren't the same team that romped to Euro 2020 title.

It's only been four months since Italy were crowned the new European champion at Wembley following a tense penalty-shootout victory over England. But that moment already seems like a distant memory.

Lately, the Azzurri have lost much of their robustness and attacking spark. They lost to Spain in the Nations League semi-finals, and in the post-Euro 2020 qualifiers, they have been held by Switzerland twice. Italy have dropped points to Bulgaria as well.

Remember, Italy and Switzerland clashed in the group stages of Euro 2020 too. Roberto Mancini's side clinically cut through their neighbors to secure a comfortable 3-0 victory in that game.

In both their clashes since, they have been made to struggle by the Red Crosses. Last night was arguably their worst performance of the three, with Mancini's men looking open defensively and wasting some gilt-edged chances in attack.

The Azzurri may as well win the group on Monday (November 15) with a win against Northern Ireland. However, their recent displays have shown that improvements are needed if the Euro winners are to make an impression at next year's World Cup.

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#1 All eyes on final day as Group C hangs in the balance

Who out of Italy and Switzerland will make it from Group C?

This was really a winner-takes-all match. With both sides locked on 14 points each at the top of Group C, a victory would have sewn it all up. The winning team would have booked their place at the 2022 World Cup.

But a draw leaves everything in the balance. Although the Azzurri remain ahead of Switzerland with a +2 goal-difference, their job isn't done yet.

To avoid the daunting play-off round, Italy have to either match the Nati's result against Bulgaria on the final day in Northern Ireland, or better it. With both teams extremely likely to secure all three points, it's all set to come down to how big a margin they win by.

There's another catch, though. Should the Swiss defeat Bulgaria 3-0 and Italy only win 1-0 in Belfast, their goal-difference and the number of goals scored will both end up being equal.

In this case, the tiebreaker will be based upon the away goals scored in games between these sides. This would obviously mean Switzerland will win the group courtesy of their goal last night.

Either way, it's going to be intense. Keep an eye out for the final day of fixtures!