Italy beat ten man Malta 1-0 on Monday night at the Ta’Qali National Stadium in their third Euro 2016 qualifying game.
A debut goal from Graziano Pelle was enough to seal the win for the Italians in a rather poor performance.
The win meant that the Azzurri maintained their 100% start to the qualifying campaign with Antonio Conte in charge.
Don’t agree with the ratings? Have your say in the comments below.
Malta
Andrew Hogg – 7.5 – Consistent
The Malta goalkeeper was their best player making numerous saves and dealing with balls into the box effectively
Andrei Agius – 6.5 – Solid
Found it hard sometimes marking Pelle, but generally did well with crosses and made some important tackles.
Ryan Camilleri – 6 – Aware
The left defender was conscious of runs from Antonio Candreva and made some good interceptions. Was lucky not to give away a penalty after fouling Ciro Immobile.
Zach Muscat – 5.5 – Troubled
Let Manuel Pasqual deliver too many crosses that could have led to more goals. Mopped up on a few occasions.
Paul Fenech – 5.5 – Cover
The defensive midfielder offered extra cover to his defence after his team went down to ten men.
Clayton Failla – 5.5 – Wasteful
Could have scored early on with a shot from the edge of the box but then was greedy with a free-kick when he should have crossed.
Roderick Briffa – 5.5 – Hardworking
Worked hard to close down ball players such as Marco Verrati but was sometimes reckless. Booked.
Rowen Muscat – 5 – Reserved
Had to sacrifice his game when his team were reduced but did well.
John Mintoff – 5 – Defensive
Was in the same boat as Rowen Muscat.
Michael Mifsud – 4 – Dismissed
Maltese captain got sent off in the opening half-hour following a high challenge on Alessandro Florenzi.
Andre Schembri – 5 – Isolated
After Mifsud was dismissed, Schembri was playing as the furthest man forward and his team could only play long balls up to him.
Substitutes
Clifford Baldacchino – N/A
Andrew Cohen – N/A
Steve Bezzina – N/A
Italy
Gianluigi Buffon – 6 – Concentrated
Wasn’t tested much throughout the game but kept his concentration to make sure he was ready to make saves when asked to.
Matteo Darmian – 5.5 – Mixed
Made some decent passes but didn’t make enough of those bombing runs that we are used to seeing. Booked.
Leonardo Bonucci – 5 – Reckless
Before being sent off for a last man challenge the Juventus defender looked at ease and was building up play well for the Azzurri.
Giorgio Chiellini – 6 – Comfortable
Wasn’t needed for the majority of the match but could have been on the scoresheet if his header was inches to the left.
Antonio Candreva – 5.5 – Threat
Was used as an outlet on occasions and did well down the right flank. Also hit the crossbar with a cross-come shot.
Alessandro Florenzi – 5 – Ineffective
The Roma man found it hard to make any impact on the game but made some good off the ball runs.
Marco Verratti – 5.5 – Complacent
The youngster gave a solid performance but made some silly challenges and also gave the ball away in attacking areas.
Claudio Marchisio – 5 – Quiet
More is expected of the Juventus midfielder who apart from a central shot in the first half, did not contribute much to the Azzurri attack.
Manuel Pasqual – 7 – Dangerman
The veteran wide-man put in a number of dangerous crosses that could have lead to goals and it was his corner that set up the crucial winning goal.
Graziano Pelle – 7 – Intelligent
Impressive debut for the Southampton striker as he created a number of chances for his team-mates with intelligent lay-offs and passes and also got the winning goal.
Ciro Immobile – 6 – Rusty
Looked to form a good partnership with Pelle after decent link up play. Should have scored a free header in the second half.
Substitutes
Alberto Aquilani – 6 – Reliable
The midfielder came off the bench and seemed to keep things ticking in the middle of the park.
Sebastian Giovinco – 6.5 – Impactful
Made a good impact coming off the bench and tried to speed up his side’s attacks. Hit the post in the closing moments in what was the fourth time Italy hit the woodwork.
Angelo Ogbonna – N/A
