Cristiano Biraghi on Sunday snatched a late victory to give new Italy coach Roberto Mancini his first competitive victory and keep the Azzurri’s UEFA Nations League hopes alive with a 1-0 win over Poland in their League A, Group 3 clash in Chorzow, Poland.
Defender Biraghi, 26, slid in the winner two minutes into stoppage-time for his first goal for Italy in a game his team had dominated.
The defeat ensured Poland were relegated to League B.
Photo: AFP
It gives Mancini his first competitive victory since taking over as Italy coach in May, after the four-time world champions failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup finals.
“A new cycle has already begun,” Mancini said. “We dominated the game, we had to score the first goal, it would have been unfair to finish 0-0. All the lads are trying to do their best. It’s a good win in a very good game.”
ACF Fiorentina defender Biraghi made the sign “13” with his hands when he scored, as he dedicated his first goal to former Italy and Fiorentina captain Davide Astori, who died of a heart attack in March.
“I owe everything to him. I’m here thanks to Davide, who was a mentor for me,” said Biraghi, who was called up to Italy for the first time last month at the age of 26.
European champions Portugal lead the three-team group with six points from two games, with Italy on four points after three games and Poland relegated to League B with one point.
Mancini stuck with the same XI he started with in Wednesday last week’s 1-1 draw against Ukraine, with Federico Bernardeschi, Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Chiesa leading the attack.
Nicolo Barella, 21, was chosen to start over Lorenzo Pellegrini in midfield after making his international debut in Genoa.
Poland opted for the strike partnership of Robert Lewandowski and Arkadiusz Milik over Genoa forward Krzysztof Piatek, who has scored 14 goals in 10 competitive games for club and country.
Italy had the best of the first half, but once again demonstrated their difficulty finishing.
Jorginho rattled the bar in the first minute, with Federico Chiesa also hitting the woodwork after half an hour at the Silesian Stadium.
Poland could thank Wojciech Szczesny for keeping them in it with the under-pressure goalkeeper denying Alessandro Florenzi, Jorginho, Federico Bernardeschi and Juventus teammate Giorgio Chiellini in the first half.
Italy had a goal disallowed after 65 minutes following a well-worked pass between Bernardeschi and Marco Verratti with Insigne offside in the penalty area.
Poland also had a couple of chances in the second half, with Kamil Grosicki denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma and Arkadiusz Milik curling over.
Just when it looked as if both sides would settle for a draw, off the last corner, substitute Kevin Lasagna, who made his international debut, steered in for Biraghi to finish.
“It had looked as if the match was jinxed,” Biraghi said. “The minutes were going by and the ball wouldn’t go in. When you create a lot and the ball doesn’t go in you start to get nervous, even risk losing. Instead we stayed calm and believed until the end. This victory is thanks to the group’s never say die attitude.”
The result ensures Italy stayed in League A ahead of December’s Euro 2020 qualifying draw.
Italy next host Portugal on Nov. 17, with Poland playing in Portugal three days later.
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