Domenico Berardi made an impact from the bench on Friday but his introduction wasn’t enough to see Italy past Switzerland, with Chelsea midfielder and Ballon d’Or hopeful Jorginho having a night to forget.
Jorginho blazed a late penalty over Yann Sommer’s crossbar to extend his poor record from 12 yards, now having missed each of the last three he has taken on Azzurri duty.
The 1-1 draw now sees the battle for top spot in Group C go down to the final day, with Italy travelling to Northern Ireland and Switzerland hosting Bulgaria.
Italy player ratings vs Switzerland
Donnarumma 5.5; Di Lorenzo 6.5, Bonucci 6, Acerbi 5, Emerson 6 (80′ Calabria n/r); Barella 5.5 (69′ Cristante 5.5), Jorginho 4.5), Locatelli 5.5 (58′ Tonali 6.5), Chiesa 5.5, Belotti 5 (58′ Berardi 7), Insigne 6 (80′ Raspadori n/r).
Player of the Match – Domenico Berardi
He had barely set foot on the pitch before his impact started to be felt, with both he and Sandro Tonali coming on to inject new life and pace into the game. He won the penalty late on after spending 30 minutes dragging the Swiss defence all over the pitch.
