Ireland held Italy to a goalless draw at Craven Cottage on Saturday, in a pre-World Cup friendly the Azzurri will be hoping isn't a sign of things to come. Not only did they lose captain Riccardo Montolivo early in the first half with a suspected broken leg, but they put in a disorganised and disjointed performance against a team that didn't even manage to qualify for Brazil.
Italy vs. Ireland: Final score 0-0, Montolivo injury compounds Azzurri woes
Italy failed to impress in a goalless friendly against Ireland on Saturday, and lost midfielder Riccardo Montolivo to a suspected broken leg.
That's despite Cesare Prandelli's side making a bright start to the match, with midfielder Claudio Marchisio forcing Ireland goalkeeper David Forde into a good save with a spectacular long-range attempt early on. However, their early intensity dropped dramatically after they suffered the devastating loss of midfielder Montolivo inside a quarter-of-an-hour, and his replacement Alberto Aquilani to concussion soon after.
By the time the first half was over, Italy were lucky to be level. Their goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu was twice called into great saves; denying Anthony Pilkington on a curling free-kick before tipping Shane Long's powerful header over the bar. Italy dominated possession, though they pushed high up the field and left themselves hugely exposed on the counter-attack. Had Ireland been more clinical, they'd have punished them.
Ireland picked up where they left off in the second half, with the impressive Pilkington flashing a snapshot just past Sirigu’s far post inside five minutes of the restart. Italy did manage to put the ball into Forde’s net moments later, only for Ciro Immobile’s effort to be ruled out for offside. Such an end-to-end contest continued throughout the second half, with the game never really slowing into a defined pattern.
Leonardo Bonucci headed over from a corner before Marchisio fired right at Forde from close-range, while at the other end Stephen Quinn's close-range effort crashed against Sirigu's crossbar. The match was played at a frantic tempo, encouraged by several substitutions from both sides. But for all the chances, the deadlock was never broken, and the game ended in a goalless draw Ireland will feel a lot happier with than Italy.
Italy: Sirigu; De Scigio, Bonucci, Paletta, Darmian (Abate 88’); Marchisio, Thiago Motta (De Rossi 62’), Montolivo (Aquilani 16’ [Parolo 38’]); Verratti; Rossi (Cerci 71’), Immobile (Cassano 57’).
Ireland: Forde; Ward, Pearce, O’Shea, Coleman; Meyler (Green 85’), Hendrick; Pilkington (McClean 59’), Hoolahan (Quinn 67’), McGeady; Long (Cox 73’).
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