Winning all 6 previous matches, Italy showed the appearance of a "big guy" in world football. After the disaster of missing the 2018 World Cup, the "heavyweight team" is rising up and starting over.
The veterans in their prime to lead the young juniors, the Italian team seems to be converging in both class and enthusiasm. If they win against Greece, they will soon win a ticket to VCK Euro 2020, something within reach of coach Roberto Mancini and his team.
Right after the opening whistle, Italy proactively held the ball to attack. However, the unfortunate and strange situation of the home team's strikers was the highlight in the first half.
Italy had nearly 3 times as many possession as their opponents (72%), launched 6 shots but did not send the ball on target once. The lack of confidence of Immobile or Chiesa almost made Azzurri pay the price.
If Gianluigi Donnarumma had not been an excellent blocker to Dimitris Limnios's excellent shot in the 12th minute, Greece could have made a surprise.
However, in the second half, Italy played more effectively and the away team had no chance to dream of a miracle at Stadio Olimpico.
When strikers like Immobile and Insigne could not speak up, Jorginho played the role of a hero, scoring the opening goal for Italy in the 63rd minute. Before that, center back Bouchalakis from Greece let the ball touch his hand in the penalty area. And against the penalty, an expert like Jorginho rarely makes mistakes.
Holding the ball well, dominating the game and having a goal to lead, the Azzurri played more and more easily. Greece's attacking efforts were not enough to put pressure on the home team's defense in the second half.
The two sides played "eat a piece, pay a piece" but only one team had the joy. In the 78th minute, during a replacement for Bernardeschi, a long-range shot was uncomfortable, raising the score to 2-0 for Italy. The ball hit a Greek player, changing direction, causing goalkeeper Paschalakis to be helpless.
In the remaining minutes, Italy played leisurely and maintained a 2-0 victory. With this result, the "gallant group" won 21 absolute points after 7 matches, 9 points more than the second-placed team, Finland. Thereby, they followed the Belgian team, soon winning a ticket to VCK Euro 2020.
As for Greece, the " Sparta Warriors" are currently ranked 5th with only 5 points after 7 matches. Coach Schip's team has almost no chance to attend Europe's biggest football festival next year.
