Italy defeated Bulgaria 1-0 at the Stadio Renzo Barbera on Friday in a qualifying match for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Alberto Gilardino’s goal at the end of the first half made all the difference against a competitive Bulgarian side and send the Azzurri seven points clear at the top of Group B.
Italy’s first opportunity came less than a minute into the game, when a long ball into Bulgaria’s box found Alberto Gilardino, but his volley was saved by Nikolay Mihaylov.
Moments later, Todor Nedelev stole a ball from a defender deep in the Azzurri’s half, but his shot from about 20 yards out ended up high above Gianluigi Buffon’s goal. After 19 minutes, Andrea Pirlo failed to capitalize on a similar situation, as his shot, too, went over the bar.
Bulgaria then had their best opportunity of the half. Ivelin Popov found Aleksandar Tonev outside the box, the Aston Villa player freed himself from a defender and tested Buffon with a strong, low shot but the goalkeeper saved.
Following this chance, the Italians took control of the game and started threatening Mihaylov’s goal more often. First, a quick one-touch pass by Gilardino found Daniele De Rossi in a good position to shoot, but Roma’s midfielder shot well wide of the left post.
Shortly after, Lorenzo Insigne tested Mihaylov from the corner of the box, but the Hellas Verona custodian had covered his angles and punched out for a corner.
With the progress of the half, Italy increased the pressure on Bulgaria and in the 38th minute Cesare Prandelli’s men took the lead. Antonio Candreva did well against a Bulgarian defender on the left flank and sent a cross into the middle, where Gilardino had taken the best position and headed in from a close range.
Italy could easily have grabbed a second if it was not for the good work of Mihaylov. Luca Antonelli had advanced inside the visitors’ box and looked for Gilardino once again, but Bulgaria’s No.1 intercepted the cross with his fingertips.
Italy were first to threaten in the second half. Gilardino beat Nikolay Bodurov to a through ball in Bulgaria’s box but his shot was too weak and did not trouble Mihaylov.
At the other end of the field, Bulgaria had an opportunity for a quick equalizer when Stanislav Dyakov found Nedelev on the left. The Botev Plovdiv player sent a ball in the middle with his first touch and found Popov, but the shot from Bulgaria’s captain was cleared off the line by Buffon.
Italy’s skipper had to clear off the line once again in the 61st minute after a Bulgaria corner was headed towards goal. The eastern Europeans threatened again from the resulting corner but the Juventus No. 1 again proved too hard to beat after a point-blank effort by Popov.
In the 64th minute, Nedelev was found unmarked in space on the right and advanced in the box, but his right-footed shot toward the far post went just inches wide.
While Bulgaria continued to have the better chances in front of goal, Italy registered a few efforts of their own, one through Pirlo, whose long-range strike from a free kick was parried by Mihaylov.
However, in the 73rd minute Gilardino had a chance to double the lead, but he failed to capitalise on a poor back pass by Yordan Minev, as Bodurov cleared the veteran forward’s shot off the line.
In the last quarter-hour, Italy’s solid defence prevented the visitors from creating a clear chance to even the scoreline. In addition, the Azzurri controlled the ball for long periods of the match, making the clock run down in their favor.
After four minutes of added time and a few crosses in front of Buffon’s goal, the final whistle came with the final score 1-0 to Italy.
