Losing to Sweden, Italy risks having to stay home to watch the World Cup

Johansson's only goal gave the Nordic side a 1-0 home win.

Italy risks staying home to watch the World Cup. Photo: AP

Goal: Johansson 61'

Italy are in danger of missing out on the World Cup for the first time since 1958 after a lacklustre display at Solna's Friends Stadium. Giampiero Ventura's side were unimpressive for much of the game and allowed Jakob Johansson to score from 18 yards, which deflected off Daniele de Rossi and left Gianluigi Buffon helpless.

Italy's recent form has been poor. A 3-0 defeat to Spain and a 1-1 draw with Macedonia were disappointing results. However, coming into the playoffs, fans will be hoping the four-time world champions will do better.

Starting with a 3-5-2 formation, Ventura put his faith in the striker pair of Andrea Belotti and Ciro Immobile, leaving out the in-form Napoli player Lorenzo Insigne. Belotti had a disappointing day. After missing the first good chance of the match when he headed wide from Darmian's cross, the Torino striker only touched the ball five times before being substituted in the 65th minute.

Ciro Immobile also failed to impress. The Lazio player let a chance slip by due to a poor first pass. In a few of his teammates' passes into the penalty area, Immobile was not in a good position.

Johansson's goal kick. Photo: EPA

Sweden pressed from the front, cutting off the Italian defence and midfield. Chances came their way in the first half. First Ola Toivonen's shot went wide, then Marcus Berg's run forced Buffon out of his goal to block.

Italy played better in the second half but while waiting for their attack to find its rhythm, they unexpectedly conceded a goal. A famous defense and a top goalkeeper could not save the visitors from a somewhat unlucky loss.

Ventura made some changes in attack, hoping to create a breakthrough. He brought on Insigne for Marco Verrati and brought in some freshness. But by that time, Sweden had retreated deep to preserve the score. The blue team's conductor Verrati made no impact except for an unnecessary yellow card that saw him suspended for the return leg.

A solid defense could not overshadow the lackluster performance of Italy's attack. Photo: AP

Italy’s most dangerous threat of the second half was Darmian’s powerful volley from the edge of the box. The ball hit the post and bounced out. Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen was rooted to the spot.

Sweden's victory was largely due to their solid defense. Captain Andreas Granqvist played an excellent game with eight blocks, four interceptions, eight duels won and a passing accuracy of 94.6%.

The return leg takes place three days later and could be Buffon's last game in Italy. The Juventus goalkeeper has announced he will retire from international football after the 2018 World Cup.

According to VNE