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A goalless draw looked inevitable. Italy had twice been denied by the woodwork, while Ghazaryan seemed unbeatable in the Armenia goal. Yet once again, the Under-21s showed they have something special about them. With virtually the last kick of the game, after yet another save from the Armenian goalkeeper, Cisse produced a moment of brilliance. He found the top corner with a superb strike to seal a dramatic 1-0 win in the sixth minute of added time. Italy had found a way through a difficult, scrappy contest, the kind of game that tests a team’s character as much as its quality. And the Azzurrini passed that test, keeping alive their hopes of qualifying directly for the European Championship. On Monday 5 October at the Stadio Adriatico in Pescara, Lipani and his teammates will need to beat Poland by two goals to finish top of the group and guarantee qualification. A one-goal victory could still be enough, but in that case Italy would have to wait on the results of Greece and Finland, who remain in contention alongside the Azzurrini to finish as the best overall runner-up in qualifying. That place also brings direct qualification for Albania and Serbia 2027 and avoids the play-offs.
BALDINI. After the final whistle, Baldini reflected on the win: “It was a deserved goal after hitting the woodwork twice, missing a penalty and failing to take several other chances. These are the kind of games you can sometimes end up losing, but the players had to stay calm. I also had to stay calm, because when you reach a certain age, the emotion is no longer the fear of losing, but the hope that the players get the reward they deserve. We scored right at the end, but it counts just the same. Now our focus turns to Poland.”
THE MATCH. Baldini went with his usual 4-3-3, with Palmisani in goal and a back four of Moruzzi, making his first start since the win in Montenegro a year ago, Comuzzo, Chiarodia and Favasuli. In midfield, Lipani anchored the familiar trio alongside Ndour and Pisilli, while Camarda led the line with Koleosho and Fini either side of him. The Azzurrini looked to take control from the outset, but struggled to find a way through Armenia’s deep defensive block in the opening 15 minutes. The first real chance came in the 20th minute, when Fini met Koleosho’s excellent cross with a header but sent it wide from a promising position. Two minutes later, Pisilli went close with a low drive from 18 metres that flashed just wide of the far post. Armenia then threatened at the other end, with Palmisani producing a superb low save at his near post to keep out Harutyunyan’s left-footed effort. Italy continued to build mainly down the right, where the Pisilli-Fini-Favasuli combination repeatedly found space in behind, but the final ball was lacking. In the 38th minute, Lipani tried his luck with a right-footed effort from distance, but Ghazaryan dealt with it comfortably.
SECOND HALF. After a first half in which the Azzurrini had struggled to find space, Baldini reshuffled his side at the break, sending on Lulli, Liberali and Cisse for Fini, Lipani and Favasuli. Pisilli dropped into the holding role, with Liberali moving into midfield, Cisse starting on the left and Koleosho switching to the right. Camarda registered his first effort on target in the 50th minute, forcing Ghazaryan to turn his shot behind from a tight angle. Baldini then made a fourth change two minutes later, replacing Moruzzi with Fortini. Cisse went closest in the 55th minute. Cutting in from the left onto his right foot, the AC Milan player unleashed a superb strike that crashed against the angle of post and bar. The woodwork denied Italy again in the 70th minute, when Comuzzo met Pisilli’s delivery with a close-range header that came back off the crossbar. With 15 minutes remaining and the Azzurrini desperately searching for a breakthrough, Ghazaryan kept out Liberali’s left-footed effort before Cisse won a penalty for handball. Greek referee Polychronis had no hesitation in pointing to the spot, but Koleosho was denied by Ghazaryan, who guessed correctly to keep the score at 0-0. That proved to be Koleosho’s final involvement as Cherubini replaced him for the closing 12 minutes, with Italy by then operating in an ultra-attacking 4-2-4. The Azzurrini threw everything forward in the closing stages, only to find Ghazaryan in inspired form. It seemed as though the breakthrough would never come, but with virtually the final kick of the game, Cisse curled a left-footed strike into the top corner to finally beat the Armenian goalkeeper and seal the dramatic 1-0-win Italy had been chasing.
ARMENIA 0-1 ITALY (HT 0-0)
Armenia (4-3-3): Ghazaryan; Tsarukyan, Manukyan, A. Hakobyan, Krmzian; Askaryan, D. Hakobyan (Kirakosian 62’), H. Sargsyan; Harutyunyan (D. Davtyan 62’), Eloyan (Vardnayan 75’), M. Hakobyan (Aleqyan 75’). Substitutes: D. Davtyan, Khachatryan, A. Sargsyan, Dokhoyan, Ayvazyan. Coach: Gyulbudaghyants
Italy (4-3-3): Palmisani; Favasuli (Lulli 45’), Comuzzo, Chiarodia, Moruzzi (Fortini 52’); Pisilli, Lipani (Liberali 45’), Ndour; Fini (Cisse 45’), Camarda, Koleosho (Cherubini 78’). Substitutes: Mascardi, Calvani, Cichella, Faticanti, Liberali, Cisse, Lulli. Coach: Baldini
Goal: 90’+5 Cisse (I)
Referee: Fotios Polychronis (Greece)
Assistant referees: Zoi Papadopoulou and Ioannis Minoudis
Fourth official: Meletios Gioumatzidis
Notes: booked Pisilli (I), Moruzzi (I), D. Davtyan (A), Cisse (I), Manukyan (A), Vardanyan (A); Koleosho (I) missed a penalty in the 77th minute.