Italy Begin Campaign with Win Over Danes

The following articles highlight the process of Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and their demise from the governance of international football and the rise of Global Futbol.

June 16, 2018 (Match 5)

Italy Begin Campaign with Win Over Danes

Italy 2-1 Denmark

Italy have hung on to defeat Denmark in their opening World Cup match, with Florenzi and Pellè scoring.

 

Early on, it was Denmark who went on the attack. Delaney and Lerager both had early shots, though they fired off target. Lerager’s shot was the best chance early, but shooting it over the bar became the norm for him and his Danish teammates. That was until Vestergaard’s long-range shot needing Buffon’s deft parry. 

 

Italy then put pressure on the Dane defence, resulting in a goal in the 38^thminute. A pass by Bernardeschi to a running Florenzi caught two defenders watching. Schmeichel ran to dive on the free Florenzi, and the ball popped upwards. Florenzi, the first to react, headed directly for the centre of the goal. The Italians had the lead and sought to consolidate it with another goal.

 

In the second half, Immobile won a penalty, thanks to his body positioning annoying the Danish defence. The referee noticed Kjær impeding Immobile’s drive. Pellè stepped up and slotted the ball in, with Schmeichel hardly diving when he knew he had been wrong-footed. 

 

The Italians adjusted their structure and made substitutions to ensure their lead. Bonucci was rewarded with an early shower after a Man of the Match performance thwarting the main Dane striker, and Chiellini substituted on. The Danes saw this as an opportunity to gain a goal back. Poulsen from Denmark had a few chances to score, only Buffon kept saving the shots, or causing the Dane strikers to make tiny mistakes. In the 88^thminute, Cornelius had a chance to best Buffon. The goalkeeper raised his right hand and the ball bobbed up, allowing Buffon time to recover.

 

Two minutes later, Poulsen missed an easy one-on-one chance, guiding the ball to the right of the goals. Finally, as the game entered additional time, the substitute Schöne glanced a ball to the advantage of Cornelius. The striker looked to veer to the near post, but changed direction and shot across the face. Buffon saw this, only the ball edged under his dive, and the Danes had a consolation goal. That was all; the Italians gained their first win for the World Cup.

 

Italy will want to continue a winning form against Togo in five days, whereas Denmark will seek a win against AFC debutants Vietnam.

 

Italy	2-1		Denmark
5 3 54 18 2 0 60 79	Shots Shots on Target Possession % Tackles Fouls Corners Shot Accuracy % Pass Accuracy %		15 6 46 14 2 2 40 84
38’ #8 Florenzi (#21 Bernardeschi assist)      65’ #9 Pellè (pen)  65’ #11 Immobile off, #17 Balotelli on     82’ #16 De Rossi off, #13 Verratti on  82’ #19 Bonucci off, #3 Chiellini on		45’ #9 N. Jørgensen off, #21 Cornelius on 65’ #4 Kjær      69’ #7 Kvist off, #15 Sisto on  82’ #10 Eriksen off, #8 Schöne on      90’ #21 Cornelius (#8 Schöne assist)