Graziano Pelle scored the only goal during Italy’s 1-0 victory over Malta in their Euro 2016 qualifier at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Thursday night but revealed improvement is needed ahead of Sunday’s fixture against Bulgaria.
The 30-year-old Southampton striker found the net with a close-range header with twenty minutes remaining to send the Azzurri top of Group H.
“It was a tough match, even though you think it’s been an easy match because we played against a second tier team. The gap between these countries has leveled off, so we are happy with the result,” Pelle told Rai Sport.
“If we had found the net after a few minutes, we would have seen a different outcome. The match against Bulgaria next Sunday will be tough. For now we have won, that’s fine but we always have to improve and think about the next match.”
Antonio Conte has demanded victory over Bulgaria following the success against Malta, Italy face their closest group rivals in Palermo on Sunday.
