EASY DOES IT
Ruthless Italy cruise past Baraclough’s boys
NORTHERN IRELAND were reminded just how tough their Qatar quest will be as Italy’s road to World Cup redemption got off to a routine start. Ian Baraclough’s side performed admirably to avoid the predicted pummelling in Parma against a team who have never lost a World Cup qualifier on home soil.
But the visitors were punished for a poor first half as ruthless forwards Domenico Berardi and Ciro Immobile led the Azzurri to an almost inevitable opening Group C victory.
Northern Ireland, who are yet to win a match in 90 minutes in nine games under boss Baraclough, host Bulgaria on Wednesday in their next Qatar 2022 qualifier after a friendly against USA.
Baraclough admitted: ‘We were too passive in the first half. We didn’t start with the intensity we talked about before the game.
‘But the second half was a totally different game. We pressed, caused mistakes and created chances.
‘Maybe it is a chance gone but these are not the games we will be judged on. We need to take that intensity from the second half into our next qualifying games.’
Italy have a point to prove in this campaign having failed to reach Russia 2018 — the first time they have not made the World Cup finals in 60 years.
Gian Piero Ventura was sacked after their shock play-off defeat to Sweden four years ago but Roberto Mancini has made the Azzurri a force to be reckoned with once more, qualifying for Euro 2020 with a 100 per cent record and stretching their unbeaten run to 23 matches last night.
Fans back in Belfast will have certainly feared the worst when Italy took the lead after only 14 minutes.
Alessandro Florenzi played Berardi through, and the mercurial Sassuolo striker took one touch before clinically lifting over Bailey Peacock-Farrell from a tight angle.
The Northern Ireland goalkeeper was at fault when Italy doubled their lead seven minutes before the break, letting Immobile’s shot from the left edge of the box squirm through him at his near post. It was a bad error from the Burnley keeper.
Still, Northern Ireland should have pulled one back in the second half when Gavin Whyte latched on to Manuel Locatelli’s under-hit back pass. But Gianluigi Donnarumma stuck out a leg to save from point-blank range. The Italy stopper was not to be breached as Paddy McNair blazed over Northern Ireland’s best and last chance at the death.
ITALY (4-3-3): Donnarumma 7.5; Florenzi 6.5, Bonucci 6.5, Chiellini 7, Emerson 6.5 (Spinazzola 75, 6); Pellegrini 5.5 (Barella 64min, 6), Locatelli 6 (Pessina 84), Verratti 6; BERARDI 8 (Chiesa 75, 6.5), Immobile 7.5, Insigne 7.5 (Grifo 84). Subs not used: Sirigu, Di Lorenzo, Belotti, Cragno, Acerbi, Bernardeschi, Mancini. Scorers: Berardi 14, Immobile 38. Manager: Roberto Mancini 7. NORTHERN IRELAND (5-3-2): Peacock-Farrell 5; Smith 7, Cathcart 6, J Evans 6, McNair 6, Dallas 6.5; C Evans 5 (Saville 45min, 6), Davis 6.5, McCann 6 (Thompson 78); Whyte 7 (Lavery 64, 6), Magennis 6.5 (Lafferty 78). Subs not used: Hazard, Hughes, McLaughlin, Kennedy, Ballard, McGinn, Ferguson, Brown. Booked: Saville, Thompson. Manager: Ian Baraclough 6.5. Referee: Ali Palabiyik (Turkey) 6.