All winning runs must come to an end eventually. Roberto Mancini knows this full well and, after eleven wins in a row and ten months away, it was never going to be easy to beat Bosnia and Herzegovina. The long enforced break and a lack of physical fitness - with the league season kicking off in two weeks - played a role in the Azzurri’s lethargic game. But the team showed character, confirming their desire to win, displayed throughout their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

“We’re not happy,” Mancini said, “we tried to score right until the end and had a few chances. It’s clear that there was a bit of tiredness but the boys played well this evening. It’s normal that a bit of sharpness was lacking, especially in a game where they shut up shop and let us come on to them. This draw doesn’t change anything, we’re upset because we didn’t win the opening game.” There will be some changes made for the game in Amsterdam on Monday: “the gameplan will remain the same but we’ll change something, because not every player will be able to play in two games.”

Wearing the captain’s armband, Leonardo Bonucci made his 96th appearance for Italy in what was to be a fierce contest with Edin Dzeko. “We were unlucky to concede that goal. We were a bit too frantic when trying to find the equaliser. We weren’t great but we got an important point. It was difficult after ten months, but the desire to take all three points is a good sign.” The COVID-19 crisis denied Italy the chance to play in front of their fans. “Fans are the passion of football, they give it life. We miss them a lot.”

Stefano Sensi’s second goal for his country wasn’t enough to secure victory. “I’m happy with the goal, but there’s regret about the draw. We played well, it wasn’t easy to come together after ten months. In the first half, we were a bit slow, but it wasn’t easy because they defended well. We could’ve utilised the space a bit more.”