Italy captain Giorgio Chiellini insists the Azzurri are on the right path despite failing to hit the back of the net against Portugal.
The Azzurri were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw on Saturday, meaning Fernando Santos’ men will top Group 3 of the Nations League A.
Despite not moving on to the Final Four, Chiellini believes Italy put in an encouraging performance.
“San Siro always gives a special response,” he told Rai Sport. “I think we are on the right path.
“We played a quality game and created chances, but we used a lot of energy in the first 60 minutes so we had to use our heart more than our head at the end.
“In these kind of matches when you are tired, if you can’t win then you have to make sure you don’t lose.”
Italy have struggled to score since Roberto Mancini took over, but Chiellini isn’t worried by the Azzurri’s struggles in front of goal.
“The goals will come in the end,” he added. “The important thing is that we continue to play like we did tonight.
“Scoring isn’t a problem, and we showed once again tonight against the European champions that we are growing.”
Italy will end 2018 with one last match – a friendly against USA in Belgium on Tuesday.
