Finally, Macedonia collapsed under our blows. It took some time, it’s a siege that began on the outskirts of the World Cup and has now ended on the threshold of a European Championship. Five goals to two, but to score so many we had to create at least twice as many chances. Now Ukraine awaits us in Leverkusen. But we go there with a little more confidence. We have a great coach. And we found an excellent Chiesa, who appeared in splendid shape. But there are many good signs coming from this match, from Barella, superb in all phases of the game, to Darmian who replaced Di Lorenzo without making him regret it, to Gatti and Di Marco. Raspadori also performed well. And Jorginho did well, apart from the usual missed penalty, even in a slightly ridiculous way. The only one who has been postponed is Berardi.
Our bête noire
In recent times Macedonia had become our Black Beast. Spalletti’s Azzurri not only had to chase away the ghosts of the defeat of a year and a half ago, 24 March 2022, when they were eliminated in the race for the World Cup, but also get rid of the draw with which they had nailed us in Skopje. Blagoja Milevski’s men showed up at the Olimpico, filled almost as if it were a Roma match, entrenched in a cheerful 3-5-2, forming a wall behind to protect Dimitrievski, the goalkeeper who chased Buffon in the first leg to have his shirt signed, with Elmas in a slightly more advanced position, but not too much, in support of Miovski, the only real striker. The man to keep an eye on, however, is Enis Bardhi, Trabzonspor midfielder who in the first leg put Gigio Donnarumma on his post in the 81st minute of the match played on Macedonian soil, confirming that these devils in the red shirt have got into the bad habit of always hitting us in the final minutes. From the start we immediately understand what game awaits us.
Macedonia’s strategy
Macedonia places themselves entirely in their own half of the field, with the intention of not moving from there, without even attempting to timidly press the blue defenders who set up the action. Chiesa, well galvanized by Spalletti who has just defined him as a champion, seems in great shape, but with the first lunge Dimoski, in the second minute, makes him understand how he intends to mark him, with a killer attack on his right knee: the referee he doesn’t even warn him, even if the blue striker is forced to seek treatment off the pitch. He comes back just in time to challenge Dimitrievski: it’s the seventh minute and it’s the first shot on goal of a long series. In the 13th minute Raspadori scored, only for him to go offside. Three minutes later Chiesa again: he exchanges with Bonaventura and the Macedonian goalkeeper returns his shot for a corner kick. At 17′ the real goal: corner, Raspadori crossed and Darmian headed home. At the half hour mark Chiesa again, served by Bonaventura: Dimitrievski saves himself in the corner. Shortly afterwards, a clear handball in the area by Serafimov who deflects Gatti’s header. Penalty. On the spot was Jorginho, the one who missed two and prevented us from going to the World Cup. And here he is again: he fails again, a bland and central shot, the goalkeeper was already on the ground and finds it in his hands. In the continuation of the action, from the lateral foul, a confusing melee in the area with Barella who frees Chiesa behind him with his heel, a great blow to the corner and two nil. But it’s not enough. In the 47th minute, Chiesa, again on the counterattack, points to Manev and invents a curling shot that goes into the net. Three nil and a brace. The Italian striker seems transformed compared to the one who stutters at Juventus. Elementary watson. When they don’t just have to think about defending, the forwards perform more. And then in blue he plays in his role, as an external attacker and not as a second striker. The first half ends like this. Lots of Italy, Macedonia only showed up when they had to beat, and they did this very well.
The second half
The second half seems to begin as the first forty-five minutes ended, with Raspadori immediately challenging Dimitrievski. But the Azzurri seem almost satisfied with the result, and you can understand it by looking at the bench, because Spalletti, until that moment a silent walker in front of the bench, hands in his pockets and head down, begins to agitate like a madman, as if he feared a loss of attention from his team. And he has good reason for it: seven minutes have just passed and at the first shot in goal, Macedonia shortens. Header from Atanasov, left completely free to pass Donnarumma, who remained to watch rather than come out to intercept the cross. Having won the goal, for a few minutes Italy resumed playing as in the first half and bombarding the visitors’ goal. In the 53rd minute, Bonaventura volleys from two steps and Dimitrievski miraculously saves himself. In the 57th minute Di Marco shoots, and the Macedonian goalkeeper returns with his fists. Then, a splendid action by Darmian and another great save by the number one (all nullified however by an offside signal). This Dimitrievski, protagonist of a memorable evening at Real Madrid’s home, is truly an excellent goalkeeper. On our part, however, defects and shortcomings, even serious ones, are beginning to emerge. We begin to lose second balls, allowing the fanatical Macedonians to move forward with more insistence towards Donnarumma’s goal. Furthermore, there is the Berardi problem, who continues to miss one ball after another, but above all to lose truly poisonous ones.
Macedonia starts again on one of these, Atanasov shoots from outside finding a deflection from Acerbi which displaces Donnarumma. Three by two, and the ghosts of our Black Beast begin to hover over the Olimpico. It’s the 74th minute. Five minutes of real anguish pass, the Azzurri begin to fear the nightmare. Then like a flash, the liberation goal arrives: Barella’s cut and Raspadori’s lightning diagonal: four to two and a big sigh of relief. Once the great fear had passed, Italy returned to playing as in the first half (after having replaced Berardi, fortunately, with El Shaarawy). And it is the Roma striker himself who scores the fifth goal. We had to exaggerate to get rid of this taboo. Now at least let’s go to Leverkusen to face Ukraine with two results out of three available. However, this is not a national team that makes calculations. You go there to win and that’s it. Spalletti has already managed to deliver the game. And that’s where you start to build a team.
2023-11-17 20:47:55
#Italy #Macedonia #Tiscali #Sport
