DEKO DEALS DRAW
Edin ends Italy’s 11-game record winning streak
Rome, Sept. 5: Edin Deko’s goal helped Bosnia-Herzegovina hold Italy to a 1-1 draw in the UEFA Nations League, ending the Azzurri’s record winning streak at
11.
Deko, who plays his club football with Roma and is therefore no stranger to Italy, put Bosnia ahead near the hour mark from close range on Friday.
Stefano Sensi equalised
11 minutes later with a shot that was deflected in off a defender.
Also in League ‘A’, the Netherlands beat visiting Poland as Steven Bergwijn tapped in for his first international goal — giving the Oranje 30 goals in their last 10 competitive home games.
In Florence, both sides hit the post early in the second half.
First, Bosnia’s Armin Hodic got past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma before striking the woodwork from the sharpest of angles.
Then Italy’s Lorenzo Insigne found the goalframe with a header.
Two minutes later, Deko had time following a corner to let the ball bounce before scoring from six meters (yards).
It was Deko’s 59th goal in
108 matches for Bosnia — both records.
Sensi’s equaliser came following a cross from Lorenzo Insigne, then Bosnia goalkeeper Ibrahim ehic saved a potential winner from Alessandro Florenzi.
The last match Italy failed to win was a scoreless draw with Portugal in November 2018 — also in the Nations League.
With international football returning for the first time since the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, all 54 games that are scheduled to take place across the continent over six days are taking place with strict hygiene measures, including the exclusion of fans.