Dutch strike late to salvage draw with Italy
TURIN: Nathan Ake headed in a late equaliser as the Netherlands held 10-man Italy 1-1 in Monday’s international friendly in Turin between two heavyweights who failed to qualify for the World Cup.
Simone Zaza had put Italy ahead after 67 minutes in Juventus’ Allianz Stadium but the hosts were hit two minutes later when defender Domenico Criscito was sent off for a tackle on Ryan Babel.
Bournemouth centre-back Ake got the equaliser past the hosts two minutes from time, and almost added a second in injury time.
Both sides are rebuilding after failing to reach the World Cup finals in Russia. New Italy coach Roberto Mancini’s first three games in charge have resulted in a 2-1 victory over Saudi Arabia, 3-1 defeat by France, and 1-1 draw against the Dutch.
“It was a friendly, I don’t know if that was really a red card,” said Mancini.
“Nevertheless it was an enormously naive error. Playing down to 10 men for 20 minutes was tough, as we were already feeling tired.”
Mancini said he was optimistic with what he had seen in his first two weeks in charge.
“It’s difficult after 10 days to develop really complex tactical situations, but we saw some good things against France and again today,” said the 53-year-old.
“We’ve got to get playing and gaining experience and that’s what the friendlies are for.
“The lads have got the right mentality, the balance of these days is positive but we have to put some things right. There is optimism, people are enthusiastic about this young national team and this helps us.”
The Dutch are also forging a new era under Ronaldo Koeman after failing to qualify for both Euro 2016 and the World Cup.
Four-time world champions Italy proved wasteful in the first half despite dominating play with chances from Andrea Belotti, Simone Verdi and Criscito.