November 13, (THEWILL) – The winner of Group C will be decided on the final day of World Cup qualification, after Italy and Switzerland drew 1-1 to keep their points totals level at the top.
Following a tense start, Switzerland seized the lead in the 12th minute when Noah Okafor sprinted down the left wing and put a fantastic pass directly into the path of Silvan Widmer, whose fierce effort from beyond the box soared past Gianluigi Donnarumma and into the net.
But, Italy progressively came into the game. Soon after, Nicolo Barella had a golden chance to equalise from close range, but Yann Sommer stopped his strike at point-blank range to retain the Swiss lead.
However, a blunder by Sommer gave Italy a well-deserved path back into the game. Shortly before the break, the goalie ran out to save a free-kick but could not get close enough to stop Giovanni Di Lorenzo from heading in into an empty net.
For the first half of the second period, Italy remained on top, but clear-cut chances were hard to come by as Switzerland seemed content with a draw.
With 15 minutes remaining, a deflected shot from Lorenzo Insigne caused considerable concern in the box. Italy was on the verge of celebrating, but Sommer’s brilliant reflex stop kept things level.
With two minutes to go, VAR was called to check a penalty shout from Domenico Berardi, and Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot after a pitchside review.
Jorginho was sent in, but the Chelsea midfielder blasted his spot-kick over the bar, forcing Italy to settle for a point.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
