Italy 1-1 Bosnia & Herzegovina: Player Ratings as Gli Azzurri Held in Nations League Opener
By Tom Gott
Italy's run of 11 consecutive wins came to an abrupt end on Friday as they laboured to a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in the UEFA Nations League opener.
If you're looking for exciting highlights, maybe skip past the first 45 minutes of this one. Bosnia sat deep and frustrated Italy, whose best early chance was fired into the side netting by Federico Chiesa, but they did miss a good chance of their own through danger man Edin Višća.
The second half brought plenty of good chances early on. Armin Hodžić and Lorenzo Insigne both hit the post before Edin Džeko poked home from a corner to give Bosnia a shock lead. Italy fought back valiantly and got their reward after 67 minutes through Stefano Sensi's deflected shot.
Italy pushed for a winner but struggled to find their mojo in front of goal and eventually had to settle for just one point.
ITALY
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Gianluigi Donnarumma (GK) - 6/10 - Was a spectator for most of the game but was too slow off his line for Džeko's goal.
Alessandro Florenzi (RB) - 6/10 - Shook off what initially looked to be a nasty injury but struggled to involve himself in Italy's attacks. Found it hard to cope with Višća.
Leonardo Bonucci (CB) - 6/10 - Made a few good challenges in the box but looked a little uncomfortable when Bosnia's attackers came flooding forward.
Francesco Acerbi (CB) - 7/10 - Locked in a battle with Džeko all night, Acerbi enjoyed the battle but was let down by those around him.
Cristiano Biraghi (LB) - 5/10 - Often in the wrong positions, Biraghi found it tough to deal with Hodžić on the left side of Italy's defence. Bosnia focused on him all night and often got some good results.
2. Midfielders
Lorenzo Pellegrini (CM) - 7/10 - Made a couple of excellent passes to justify the hype around him, but quelled the excitement with a few poor decisions.
Stefano Sensi (CM) - 7/10 - Seemingly aware of his negative start to the game, Sensi eventually stepped up and started helping Italy move forward with some graceful passing. A bit of luck with his goal but probably deserved it.
Nicolò Barella (CM) - 8/10 - With Sensi and Pellegrini doing the passing, Barella brought the physicality. He recovered possession with ease and was rarely scared to fly forwards when needed.
3. Forwards
Federico Chiesa (RW) - 5/10 - Missed a good chance to score and often looked frightened when in good positions. Needs to find his goalscoring touch sooner rather than later.
Andrea Belotti (ST) - 5/10 - Failed to help his chances of regularly starting ahead of Ciro Immobile. His movement was too predictable and rarely threatened the Bosnia centre-backs.
Lorenzo Insigne (LW) - 7/10 - Clearly Italy's danger man. Could always be found running behind and tormenting defenders. Hit the post with a header early in the second half and was key to the equaliser.
4. Substitutes
Nicolò Zaniolo - 6/10
Ciro Immobile - 6/10
Moise Kean - N/A
BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
5. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Ibrahim Šehić (GK) - 7/10 - Didn't have anything too special to do but was reliable whenever he was called upon to give Bosnia some strength at the back. Powerless to stop Sensi's deflected goal.
Branimir Cipetić (RB) - 5/10 - Dealing with Insigne was too much for Cipetić, who was probably glad to hear the referee's final whistle.
Toni Šunjić (CB) - 6/10 - Looked a little awkward at times and made one particularly awful header which nearly gifted Insigne a goal.
Siniša Saničanin (CB) - 7/10 - An impressive debut from Saničanin, who kept Belotti at bay all night long.
Sead Kolašinac (LB) - 6/10 - Clearly enjoyed overpowering Chiesa but didn't actually have too much to do for the most part.
6. Midfielders
Gojko Cimirot (DM) - 7/10 - Anchored Bosnia's midfield well and ensured that Italy had a tough time breaking through the middle of the pitch.
Amir Hadžiahmetović (DM) - 7/10 - Another impressive debutant. Regularly involved in his side's build-up play. Put his body on the line and was rewarded with a nice kick to the face from Belotti.
Edin Višća (RM) - 6/10 - Missed a good chance in the first half but looked threatening throughout. Kept Biraghi on his toes and often got the better of him.
Amer Gojak (AM) - 6/10 - Some good runs through the middle but struggled to link anything together.
Armin Hodžić (LM) - 5/10 - Tried to get involved a lot but usually looked a little lost. Hit the post when he probably should have scored from close range.
7. Forward
Edin Džeko (ST) - 8/10 - Defied his age by drifting around the pitch all night long. Pulled off some great link-up play and found himself in the right spot to fire home when needed.
8. Substitutes
Muhamed Bešić - 6/10
Eldar Ćivić - N/A
Deni Milošević - N/A