Three days after the draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Nations League opener, tonight the Azzurri rose to the occasion and came out with a well-deserved 1-0 victory away in Amsterdam. Nicolò Barella scored on the stroke of half-time with a stunning header, but it’s the whole team’s success that stands out, an Italy that has found its rhythm again, playing just like they had been last November when there was plenty of talk about the Azzurri’s chances in the European Championship. A strong Italy side that now soars to the top of League A Group 1, a statement of intent from Roberto Mancini and his team.

THE MATCH – There were seven changes to the starting eleven after the match against Bosnia in Florence: Locatelli started for the first time, while Spinazzola and D’Ambrosio came in to the defence, and captain Chiellini made his return to the heart of the Azzurri defence alongside Bonucci, after more than a year since his last game. Jorginho came back into his role as the fulcrum of the Italian midfield, while the front three also saw some changes, with Insigne this time starting alongside Immobile and Zaniolo. Right from the outset, Italy looked to rediscover the great performances seen in European qualification, with the run of eleven consecutive wins that was brought to an end with last week’s draw. Against a Dutch who invited them to attack, Mancini’s side found ample opportunity to show off their quality.

The Azzurri were on top from the outset, and despite victory in their Nations League opener against Poland, the Netherlands struggled to handle the Italian attack, who showed the right mindset, the right level of aggression, and wary of their opponents’ threat on the counter. The first chance fell to Barella in the 12th minute on the end of a counter-attack, but his effort was deflected out for a corner.

In the 18th minute, Zaniolo came close to the spectacular off Spinazzola’s cross, but his acrobatic effort sailed over the bar. A minute later, Immobile, on an assist from Insigne, put it just wide of the post to Cillessen’s left. Donnarumma was only threatened once, with Wijnaldum forcing a double save from the Azzurri keeper. But Italy remained in the driving seat, playing great football, and setting the tempo. In the 35th minute, Insigne came close to scoring the Azzurri opener, but his curling effort was just wide of the far post. Five minutes later, Mancini lost Zaniolo to an injury after a clash with Van de Beek, but he was unable to carry on, and was replaced by Kean.

With all this Azzurri pressure, it seemed almost inevitable that they would open the scoring. While the Netherlands looked to see the match out until half-time, in the 45th minute, the Azzurri broke through the Dutch backline and broke the deadlock: Spinazzola made a dangerous run down the left wing, before picking out Insigne, who played it on to Immobile. Immobile’s searching ball found Barella, whose spectacular header ended the first half for the Azzurri in style.

The second half saw plenty more chances for Italy, but tiredness began to set in. In the 53rd minute, Spinazzola picked out Insigne who tried another curler in search of the bottom right corner, but his effort was just wide. Two minutes later, it was Donnarumma's turn to step into the spotlight, making a spectacular save to keep out Van de Beek.

The Azzurri were keen to close the game out, and on the counter-attack, and in the 74th minute, Kean wasn't far off doing just that, but his left-footed effort was turned out for a corner. In the late stages of the match, the pace of the game inevitably slowed, and although the players continued to give it their all, it was clear that it's still to early in the season for peak match fitness.
Mancini brought on Chiesa for Insigne with a few minutes to go, as the Azzurri were pinned back by the Netherlands, who made one last push for an equaliser. But the Azzurri were the ones who came closest to scoring in the dying moments, with Kean breaking through in the 90th minute on the counter-attack, but unable to find the target. An intense five minutes of stoppage time concluded the affair, with the Azzurri ultimately holding on to their first-half lead.