At The Chase Stadium in Miami, Italy and Venezuela crossed paths in an international friendly. Mateo Retegui pounced on a defensive blunder to give the Azzurri the lead in the 40th minute, but his teammates returned the favor by gifting Darwin Machis an easy equalizer three minutes later. Nevertheless, Retegui cemented himself as the ultimate hero by scoring a late winner. So here are our player ratings for Italy who beat Venezuela 2-1 in the first of two friendly tests on US soil.
Italy (3-4-2-1)
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 7
Although he was partially at fault for the goal with a dubious pass to Bonaventura, the Italy captain was flawless otherwise. Saved a penalty in the early going and made some key interventions afterwards.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6
The Napoli captain spent the majority of the match acting as a third centre-back and did well in his defensive duties. But he only truly came to life offensively when Luciano Spalletti switched to four at the back.
Alessandro Buongiorno – 4.5
A day to forget for the Torino man who certainly didn’t make the most of this opportunity. Gave away an early spot kick and simply couldn’t cope with Salamon Rondon’s pace.
Giorgio Scalvini – 6.5
The Atalanta youngster did well to cover for his teammates at the back and also offered some contribution in the possession phase.
Andrea Cambiaso – 6.5
A lively display from the versatile Juventus man who offered valuable contribution on the right flank and provided the assist for Retegui’s goal. His set-piece delivery was adequate as well.
Manuel Locatelli – 6.5
A solid display in the middle of the park from the Regista who did well to pick up his teammates between the lines. He also instigated the opener by winning back the ball.
Giacomo Bonaventura – 5.5
The Fiorentina veteran started on a positive note and always made himself involved in the final third with his slick passing. Nevertheless, his poor back pass directly led to Venezuela’s equalizer. He never had the chance to redeem himself with Barella replacing him after the interval.
Destiny Udogie – 6
The Spurs youngster made himself noticed in the early going but eventually lost some of his steam. But it remains a defensively sound outing.
Davide Frattesi – 5.5
The Inter midfielder usually reserves his best displays for Italy, but his contribution was minimal this time around.
Federico Chiesa – 6
The Juventus star cemented himself as the Azzurri’s go-to man up front and came close to scoring with a lovely curler. However, his impact dwindled as the match progressed.
Mateo Retegui – 8
Two chances, two goals. The Genoa man is proving to be the long-awaited solution for the Italy striker dilemma. Took his shots expertly and without any hesitation, and fought for the ball all over the pitch.
Substitutes
Nicolò Barella – 6.5
The Inter star added a certain edge to the Italy midfield that was missing in the first half. Won back possession with ease on several occasions.
Mattia Zaccagni – 5
The Lazio winger couldn’t truly leave his mark after replacing Chiesa.
Jorginho – 7
The Arsenal Regista was a match-winning substitute. Bossed the middle of the park and created Retegui’s winner with a selfless assist. The Venezuelans couldn’t deal with his elusive skillset.
Lorenzo Pellegrini – 5.5
The Roma captain didn’t see much of the ball.
Nicolò Zaniolo – 6
The Aston Villa man was a menacing presence on the right flank, but at times lacked the all-important final touch.
Giacomo Raspadori – N/A
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