Friendly match Albania-Italy 1-3: goals from Ismajli, Di Lorenzo, brace from Grifo

From our correspondent Andrea Elefante

November 16th
– tirana (albania)

Friendly like this, five days before the World Cup of (our) penance, they are like fingers in the wounds of a bitterness and a sense of emptiness that will last for at least a month. But as Roberto Mancini also said yesterday, since we need to atone, we might as well do it by trying to see a future, even if it’s the past that torments Italy. So in Tirana, in the fourth encounter in the blue’s history with Albania, the coach experimented a bit: mixing new and less new forces, protagonists of the won European championship and those who will have to earn the next one from March. The result was a game with good indications, moments of decline, some distractions to correct, but overall positive. In particular in the answers of Grifo, Raspadori, Verratti and also Meret. Also noteworthy is the return after a year of absence from Chiesa and the debut of the baby Facundi at just 16 years old (and he also came close to a header as soon as he entered). The only shadow in the evening in Tirana, Tonali’s exit from the field, who fell badly after a tackle and was forced to undergo tests in the clinic – however conscious – after hitting his head.

the choices

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Mancini chooses the debut as owner for Meret and for the 18-year-old Scalvini (already the youngest rookie under his management) in the three-man line completed by Bonucci and Bastoni, with Di Lorenzo and Dimarco on the wings, the return to midfield (he hadn’t played since the cursed night of Palermo, against North Macedonia) of Verratti with Tonali, who the coach needed to see more than Barella, and ahead of Zaniolo, Raspadori and Grifo. With the Giallorossi splitting into two, a bit offensive midfielder and a bit winger. As always, Albania is designed by Reja with a 3-5-2 formation: the “Italians” are five (Berisha, Ismajli, Kumbulla, Hysaj and Bajrami), with Broja, the Chelsea centre-forward, leading the attack completed by uzuni.

first half

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Italy started aggressively, relaxed, nearly scoring with a double chance for Raspadori, blocked by Berisha, and on developments for Zaniolo who widened wide, but in the 16th minute he collected the first goal in his history with Albania: Bastoni escaped a foul on Broja, Bajrami hits a very long pitch and the whole blue defense is too low on Reja’s jumpers. The Ismajli from Empoli stands out more than the others, too free with the complicity of Bonucci, and Meret sees the arched header on the post to his left fade. But the Azzurri reaction was important and after 4′ Di Lorenzo made it 1-1, who slipped well between Leniani and Mihaj on an assist from Grifo’s left: perfect tap and equalizer. Another 5′ and after another chance aimed high by Zaniolo the 2-1 arrives, beautiful: Raspadori goes around Kumbulla, doesn’t give in to the temptation to shoot but widens to the left for Grifo, who can’t go wrong. And it’s not a mistake, just bad luck, even that of Zaniolo in the 47th minute: again Raspadori shows him the goal, but his left foot is rejected by the post.

second half

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It’s another Albania that returns to the field in the second half. After 4′ Meret had to fend off a header from Kumbulla and in the 9th minute Uzuni equalized the crossbar Grifo hit 2′ earlier, forcing the Azzurri goalkeeper to make another save on Roshi. And the crossbar was still kind to Italy in the 17th minute, when it rejected a deflection by Scalvini following a shot by Bajrami; the thrill of Lenjani’s next shot is extinguished by Bonucci, who saves on the line. It is the moment of greatest difficulty for Italy, but it is still Grifo who closes the speech, finalizing an action started by Zaniolo and finished by Verratti. Not even at 3-1 Albania gives up and serves the best Meret two more times, on Roshi and a semi-forward kick by Skuka, before Pafundi, as soon as he comes on, makes people scream for goal. Another sign of another future that Mancini is painstakingly starting to draw.