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Italy continued their impressive form at Euro 2020 and maintained their perfect start to the competition with a 1-0 victory over Wales at the Stadio Olimpico.
Despite making wholesale changes to their side, the Italians didn't let their levels drop and turned in a dominant display against Wales. Roberto Mancini's men finished top of the Group A table. They will face either Ukraine or Austria in the Euro 2020 Round of 16.
Matteo Pessina's goal helps Italy secure a narrow win against 10-men Wales at Euro 2020
Italy made a strong start to the game and had some decent chances to score early on in the first half. Andrea Belotti came close to giving the hosts the lead in the 12th minute as he tried to score with an acrobatic effort from Alessandro Bastoni's cross. However, the forward failed to make contact with the ball.
The Italians had another opportunity to score just moments later as Rafael Toloi's low cross into the penalty area was redirected into the bottom corner by Matteo Pessina. However, the Welsh goalkeeper was quick to react and made a decent save.
The hosts finally broke the deadlock with six minutes remaining before the half-time whistle. Pessina got in front of his marker and volleyed the ball into the corner of the net from a brilliantly taken set-piece by Marco Verratti.
Wales improved in the second half but were reduced to 10 men just ten minutes after the restart. Chelsea star Ethan Ampadu was shown a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Federico Bernardeschi.
Gareth Bale then had a great opportunity to grab an equalizer for his side but volleyed the ball over the crossbar. Bryan Cristante could have also killed the game off for Italy in stoppage time. However, his effort was kept out by an excellent save from Danny Ward.
Despite the loss to Italy, Wales finished second on goal difference and qualified for the knockout stages of Euro 2020. They will take on either Russia or Finland in the next round of the competition.
