Pellegrini Stars For Italy: U21 Player Ratings v Denmark

Pellegrini Stars For Italy: U21 Player Ratings v Denmark

Date: 18th June 2017 at 11:19pm
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Italy began their Group C campaign in good form with a 2-0 win over Denmark at the Krakow Stadium in Poland as the Euro U21 Championship got underway for Luigi Di Biagio’s men on Sunday night.

Lorenzo Pellegrini gave the Azzurrini the lead with a lovely overhead kick early in the second half, and Andrea Petagna found the second on 85 minutes.

Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6.5
Not an easy night for him, with the fans behind his goal throwing fake money in his direction huge pressure. He overall kept his cool, and when he was needed, he answered with a great save.

Andrea Conti – 7
The best in the first half, guaranteeing an offensive push and careful defence. Had the first chance for the Azzurrini, and was then good at the back throughout the game, battling with his opponents. Tired towards the end and made a couple of avoidable mistakes.

Mattia Caldara – 7
Solid at the back, using his physique and head to dominate the Danish attack, especially in the first half. In the final 20 minutes he suffered alongside his fellow defenders, but helped maintain the clean sheet.

Daniele Rugani – 7
His tactical intelligence let him control the defence nicely, and was always clean in his tackles and headers.

Antonio Barreca – 7
Some lovely crosses and solid defending, with a crucial tackle to stop the Danish from scoring. Consistent throughout the game and Italy didn’t suffer much on his side.

Lorenzo Pellegrini – 7.5
A lot of running, but some of his usual quality was missing in the first half. Then… Magic! What a goal, one of the best and a crucial one too, breaking the deadlock in a game that had become more difficult than expected for Italy.

Roberto Gagliardini – 5
He is not a regista, and everyone saw it. Always out of position in the first half, struggled to dictate the tempo and have any impact on the game. Denmark’s first chance came from him losing the ball, he became more useful using his strength towards the end.

Marco Benassi – 6
The captain was the first to shoot on target with a lovely long range strike, and tried to give quality to the midfield, helping Conti on the right flank. He was the hardest working midfielder and had no energy left when subbed 72 minutes in.

Domenico Berardi – 6
Good in when pressurising the defence, but needed to do more. Struggled to find the right position in the first half. Then, all his running ended with him having to leave the pitch.

Andrea Petagna – 6.5
He battled with the defenders, but was unable to keep the ball up or shoot on target in the first half. In the second 45 minutes not much changed, as he was isolated and never really helped the team, as well as never shooting on target until the 84th minute. Then, right before he was taken off, he collected Chiesa’s cross and put the game to bed.

Federico Bernardeschi – 5.5
The Fiorentina starlet was a ghost in the first half, struggling to get his head in the game. Better in the second half, when from the right flank he came in using his left foot more successfully. Nevertheless, not good enough.

Substitutes

Federico Chiesa – 7
Showed his energy and strength on the pitch, went close to scoring with a powerful shot then served the perfect assist for the second goal.

Alberto Grassi – N/A

Alberto Cerri – N/A

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