Nicolato rues more Italy Under-21 misses

Italy Under-21 coach Paolo Nicolato insists they ‘did not deserve’ to concede the last-gasp Sweden equaliser in their European Championship qualifier.

Lorenzo Lucca had put the Azzurrini in front in Monza, and they again wasted several scoring opportunities, including moments before the equaliser with Nicolò Rovella one-on-one.

However, Tim Prica nodded in from point-blank range at the back post for the 1-1 draw.

U21 Euro | Italy 1-1 Sweden: Azzurrini held in stoppages

“We put in a great performance and did not deserve to concede that goal right at the end,” Nicolato told RAI Sport.

“We hope to score more goals in future, because we do create the chances and play good football. It’s a pity, but the team did its duty.”

Italy remain second in the European Under-21 Championship qualifying group, now on 10 points from four games, while Sweden have 11 points and have played five matches.

“I am satisfied, but we could’ve easily had four wins by now. It’s a long road ahead, we know it’s not easy with competitive teams like Sweden.”

Elsewhere in this group, Montenegro surprisingly beat the Republic of Ireland 2-1.

It means Ireland fall further behind the top two, with seven points from three games.