Gnonto shines as Italy and Germany battle to a draw

There was no splitting Italy and Germany in their Nations League group stage opener, with the two European giants settling for a 1-1 draw in Bologna.

On a day that saw Hungary claim a shock win over England in the other group match, the two teams will each be happy with a point in what was an even match that came to life in the second half.

There was little to separate the teams in the opening half, with Germany getting off to the better start. Italy gave the ball away on several occasions, with Hansi Flick's team having nearly 70 percent possession. The German's best chance fell to Serge Gnabry, but Gianluigi Donnarumma was quick to deny him.

Front there the home side woke up, spurred on by Azzurri fans who were keen to avoid another result like the one in the Finalissima. Their best chance came when Gianluca Scamacca fired his strike from outside the area, only for it to crash off the post.

The second half saw Italy improve, as they created more chances despite once again having less of the possession. The match really took off when the substitutions began, with Roberto Mancini's inclusion of 18-year-old Wilfried Gnonto energising proceedings.

The Zurich forward made his senior debut a memorable one after some fine work down the right, and his cross found the feet of Lorenzo Pellegrini, who made it 1-0. The lead was short-lived however, as Joshua Kimmich recovered a loose ball in the Italy penalty area to fire home and immediately level the score.

From there, Donnarumma was called into action on a few occasions in the final 15 minutes of the match, while Gnonto continued his energetic display as Mancini ended the night by handing first caps to Tommaso Pobega, Samuele Ricci and Matteo Cancellieri.