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Italy were held to a frustrating goalless stalemate by Switzerland in their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying match in Basel.
The result came on the back of a similarly disappointing 1-1 draw with Bulgaria on Thursday (September 2). Since clinching the Euro 2020 trophy earlier this summer, the Azzurri have stuttered to click into gear.
Italy had more of the ball and mustered 10 shots, of which seven were on target. But they ultimately couldn't find a way past the stubborn Swiss defense. The best chance of the match fell to Jorginho after Roberto Mancini's side won a penalty. However, the Chelsea star's tame effort was saved by Yann Sommer.
Italy displayed no real urgency or quality in attack during the game. They were a poor imitation of their rip-roaring selves from two months ago on their way to lifting the Henri Delaunay trophy.
On the bright side, the Azzurri set a new unbeaten record in international football with 36 games without a defeat in all competitions. But it was no doubt a tame way to reach such a significant milestone.
Here are the player ratings from the game for Italy.
Italy player ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7.5/10
Italy's most reliable custodian made two saves on the night and read the game brilliantly. Donnarumma got his hands on loose balls and was prompt to push it out of play in moments of danger.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo - 7/10
He took good care of the right-flank and often scuppered the Swiss with his timely interventions. Di Lorenzo registered a tackle, two clearances and two interceptions on the night.
Leonardo Bonucci - 7/10
The Italy veteran was sound in defense, making four clearances. Bonucci also constantly looked to start attacks from the back with a few long balls and completed 80% of his passes.
Georgio Chiellini - 7.5/10
Italy's captain was colossal in defense. Chiellini was excellent at communicating with Bonucci and kept the Swiss attackers at bay throughout. He also completed 93% of his passes to keep play ticking.
Emerson - 7.5/10
Emerson ran up and down the left-flank with a lot of pace, poise and purpose. While he had no luck with crosses, his passing were excellent as he completed 93% of his attempted passes. Emerson also won six of his nine ground duels and made two tackles.
Nicolo Barella - 7.5/10
Italy's little wizard couldn't weave his magic tonight but fought hard for the ball, winning six of his nine ground duels. Barella also laid out one key pass and played well after suffering a knock early on.
Jorginho - 6.5/10
Italy's penalty master had no luck from 12 yards tonight, an area from which he has been prolific for club and country. Yann Sommer denied Jorginho a golden opportunity to win the game, but he had a decent outing otherwise. The Chelsea midfielder registered a tackle and completed 89.6% of his passes.
Manuel Locatelli - 8/10
Everything good coming from Italy tonight stemmed from Locatelli, who was at his creative best. He completed 89% of his passes and laid three key passes, while making three tackles as well.
Domenico Berardi - 5/10
The prolific Sassuolo man was completely out of depth tonight and struggled to get into the match. It was no surprise to see Mancini take Berardi off just before the hour mark. The forward registered two shots on target, but didn't really trouble the Swiss defense or Sommer in goal.
Ciro Immobile - 5/10
Immobile was also taken off along with Berardi on the hour mark. The Lazio man had a poor game and offered precious little going forward, registering no shots on target.
Lorenzo Insigne - 6/10
Compared to his attacking cohorts at least, Insigne was better. He asked questions of the Swiss defense with some powerful shots (three on target) and two key passes. However, he was not at his best either.
Substitutes
Nicolo Zaniolo - 5/10
Zaniolo replaced Immobile in the 59th minute as Italy looked for the winner. But he largely looked like a player still looking to regain full fitness and was well below his best.
Federico Chiesa - 4/10
Another Italy star who endured a poor outing, Chiesa made only five passes in 31 minutes of action after replacing Berardi. It tells you everything you need to know about the kind of game the Azzurri had against the Swiss.
Marco Veratti - 5/10
Verratti came on to replace Locatelli in the 77th minute. Besides a few good passes, there was nothing to write home about during his 13 minutes on the pitch.
Matteo Pessina - N/A
Pessina replaced Barella in the dying embers of the game. He merely came on to see out the draw with less than 60 seconds left on the clock.
Giacomo Raspadori - N/A
Another late but uninspired substitution, Raspadori too, came in stoppage-time with the clock winding down. He replaced Insigne to see the game out.
