Nations League, Germany beats Italy 2-1 at San Siro
Tonali's goal in the first half was answered by Kleindienst and Goretzka in the second half. Sixtieth in blue for Barella, like Rivera
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Italy defeated 2-1 by Germany in the first leg of the Nations League quarter-finals at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan: Tonali's lead in the 9th minute was answered by Kleindienst and Goretzka in the 49th and 76th minutes.
Spalletti relies as usual on Barella, in his sixtieth match for the national team (joining Gianni Rivera and Dino Baggio) , and chooses the 3-5-2: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori; Politano, Barella, Rovella, Tonali, Udogie; Raspadori, Kean. Nagelsmann responds with the 4-2-3-1: Baumann; Kimmich, Tah, Rüdiger, Raum; Goretzka, Gross; Sané, Musiala, Amiri; Burkardt.
The match began with a well-deserved tribute to Bruno Pizzul and the Azzurri took the lead after just 9 minutes: Bastoni changed sides for Barella who served Politano in depth, his ball into the centre, deflected by Tah, found the onrushing Tonali who beat Baumann .
Germany reacts with two attempts by Goretzka, but the Azzurri come close to doubling their lead with a great shot from outside by Tonali and, above all, with Kean, who, launched into the area by Politano from a tight angle, shoots at Baumann . At the end of the half, Donnarumma's exit unravels a complicated situation in the Azzurri area.
At the start of the second half, however, Kleindienst, who had just come on, rewarded Nagelsmann's substitution and headed in a cross from Kimmich to make it 1-1 . Italy reacted and Tonali invented: first for Kean who narrowly missed the target, then for Raspadori who, alone in front of the goalkeeper, wasted a great opportunity by shooting weakly at Baumann .
In the 76th minute, on a dead ball, the joke arrives: corner from the left, at the near post Goretzka anticipates Bastoni and beats a Donnarumma who is not exactly blameless for the advantage of the Germans . Also serious is the error of the newly entered Bellanova, who with a colossal sleep had gifted the corner to the Germans. A minute later, corner from the other side and prodigious reflex from Baumann who avoids the own goal. In the final stages, Italy tries twice from outside, with Barella and Maldini, but does not even manage to come close to a draw that it would have deserved.
It ends 2-1 for the Germans. The return match on Sunday in Dortmund , the stadium of the splendid World Cup semi-final won in 2006 by 2-0 by Italy. At stake, in addition to the Nations League semi-final against Portugal or Denmark, there is also an easier qualifying group for the 2026 World Cup, at least in theory. The winner faces Slovakia, Northern Ireland and Luxembourg, the loser challenges Norway, Israel, Estonia and Moldova.
(Unioneonline/L)
