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82 min: That was a hell of a cross by Dedic. Whistled along the corridor of uncertainty. Dzeko did all but score; Tabaković did. A few celebratory flares have been set off. A lot of smoke drifting across the pitch. No pyro, no party!
80 min: The Stadion Bilino Polje isn’t quiet now! What an atmosphere! Donnarumma is booked for arguing about goodness knows what, and suddenly Italy are staring down the barrel!
GOAL! Bosnia and Herzegovina 1-1 Italy (Tabaković 79)
Dedic loops long from the right. Dzeko meets it at the far post, stooping to head down towards the bottom left. Donnarumma does exceptionally well to scoop off the line, but can only set up Tabaković, who slams home from a couple of yards!
78 min: Esposito makes good down the right and wins a corner. The set piece is half cleared, as far as Barella, 25 yards out. Barella chests down and volleys harmlessly over. Italy have had their chances in this second half.
77 min: Barella reaches the byline down the left and flipper-flicks back for Dimarco, who from the penalty spot steers a dismal shot miles wide right.
76 min: … in fact, it’s the small Italian contingent in one corner of the stadium that’s making all of the noise. Their ten men making a really good fist of this in the second half.
75 min: As you’d expect in a game of 11 v 10, Bosnia and Herzegovina are winning the completed-passes count by 344 to 250. But the score remains the same, and the hosts are getting frustrated. The nervousness all around the Stadion Bilino Polje is palpable.
73 min: Tahirović, just to the left of the D, cracks a low shot towards the bottom left. Donnarumma turns it around the post, and nothing comes of the corner. Italy counter, Barella making ground down the right and cutting back for Esposito, who lashes over.
72 min: Bosnia and Herzegovina respond with a change of their own, sending on Burnic and Tabaković for Basic and the aforementioned crock Memic.
71 min: Italy make a double change: Esposito and Cristante come on for Kean and Locatelli.
69 min: Memic nearly bursts past Dimarco down the right. He wins a throw, then signals to be subbed. Then takes the throw anyway. The move fizzles out. Goal kick. It’s all really scrappy, and that suits Italy real fine.
67 min: A ball into the Italian box from the right. Dzeko competes, but Gatti doesn’t need to feel much of a shove to collapse, and wins the free kick. Donnarumma once again tests the home fans’ patience, but eventually hoofs the resulting free kick upfield.
66 min: … and now Muharemović is reduced to trying his luck from the best part of 30 yards. The ball sails miles over the bar. Donnarumma’s restart routine is not an energy piece.
64 min: Bosnia and Herzegovina keep Italy pinned back in their final third. But the pace of the game has slowed up, and that suits the visitors in the circumstances. Italy hold their shape, and there’s no way through.
62 min: Bajraktarević threads a shot towards the bottom left from 25 yards. That’s easy for Donnarumma, who isn’t rushing to drop-kick upfield.
60 min: The hosts push everyone forward. Memic plays a poor crossfield ball in the Italian half. Kean reads the situation and intercepts, knocking the ball into the Bosnia and Herzegovina half, and chasing after it. He’s clear! Simple as that! But when he reaches the edge of the box, he lashes a wild shot over the bar. A huge chance to double Italy’s lead!
58 min: Barella and Mancini combine cutely down the inside-right channel. The latter is clipped from behind by Tahirović, who wants to be careful, having already been booked since coming on at the break. You’ve seen ‘em given. Just a free kick, though … which Tonali wastes with a poor delivery that doesn’t beat the first man.
56 min: Another Bosnia and Herzegovina corner. It’s played short down the left flank, then Alajbegović hoicks out for a goal kick. Donnarumma then takes an age over the restart. The crowd whistle. Another pattern set, perhaps.
54 min: Tonali looks to launch a rare Italian counter, only to be tugged back by Tahirović, who has taken less than ten minutes to pick up a yellow card.
52 min: Alajbegović dribbles hard down the left and wins a corner. He goes over to take it. Before he does, he encourages the crowd to take it up a notch. They comply. The corner isn’t all that, which kind of ruins the effect. But the 18-year-old has made an impression since coming on.
51 min: Basic one-two his way down the middle and nearly makes it into the Italian box. Gatti intercepts just in time. Italy eventually clear. The hosts come back at them. Bajraktarević shoots from long range. Donnarumma saves. Italy under all sorts of pressure.
49 min: Bajraktarević wedges a cross in from the left. Gatti flops over under pressure from Dzeko. The referee tells Gatti to get up. Italy eventually clear but they look panicked.
47 min: Memic curls a sensational low cross in from the right. Demirović dives in the hope of Keith Houchening a header home from eight yards. But he can’t quite connect. Inches away. Mancini was leaning on his back a little, but there’s no question of a penalty. What a goal that would have been!
46 min: Alajbegović probes down the left. Bajraktarević down the right. Italy sit back. A pattern already set?
Italy get the second half started. They've replaced Politano with Palestra. Meanwhile Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Sergej Barbarez is going for it. The young winger Alajbegović comes on for Kolasinac, while Tahirović replaces Sunjic.
Half-time postbag. “For most of my life, it seems, I’ve been watching Italy try to hold on against opposition that aren’t on their level, only for the Azzuri to capitulate at the last,” writes Kári Tulinius. “That’s how they left their last World Cup, trying to cling to a nil-nil draw against Uruguay, only for Diego Godin to banish them from the competition for the next eight years. And maybe twelve.”
The nerves will be jangling from Como to Catania. Blood running cold up and down lo Stivale. Italy scored a fine goal, Moise Kean meeting Nicolò Barella’s precision pass and dispatching it nervelessly. But it’s the only nerveless thing Italy have done. Bosnia and Herzegovina have otherwise been all over them. The hosts have won a series of headers in the Italian box, without getting too much on target. And now their guests are down to ten men. If Bosnia and Herzegovina find their range in the second half, Italy will have their work cut out to cling on.
HALF TIME: Bosnia and Herzegovina 0-1 Italy
Before this game, Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Sergej Barbarez said that he was ready to “park the bus” if his side took the lead. With the Italians down to ten men, but one goal up thanks to Moise Kean’s fine strike, the boot could be on the other foot in the second half.
45 min +4: Locatelli heads Dedic’s free kick clear, and that’s that for the first half.
45 min +3: Dimarco needlessly slams into Bajraktarević out on the right. One last free kick, one last chance to swing something into the Italian box.
45 min +2: A cross in from the right now. Memic meets it at the left-hand corner of the six-yard box, and clips a header wide. Not far away from the top-left corner, but Donnarumma probably had it covered.
45 min +1: The first of three additional minutes sees Dedic skin Dimarco down the right and whip a dangerous ball through the Italian six-yard box. Italy really need to hear the half-time whistle.
45 min: The free kick’s sent into the mixer from the left by Bajraktarević. Memic wins a header at the far stick and powers it downwards. Donnarumma smothers. This could be a long evening for Donnarumma and his defenders.
44 min: Italy are forced to make a defensive change, sending on Gatti for a disappointed Retegui. But what could Gattuso do?
42 min: Donnarumma is livid. He should be livid with Bastoni, who was head of Memic at the start of the footrace, but let his opponent nip in front of him. Then the leg was telescoped, and the defender’s fate was sealed.
RED CARD: Bastoni (Italy)
41 min: Donnarumma takes a goal kick. It’s headed straight back by Demirovic down the inside-left channel. Memic gets ahead of last man Bastoni, who stretches out a leg and brings his man down, just before he could reach the box! The referee races over and has no hesitation in flashing red. This is huge!
40 min: Kean nearly steals the ball off last man Muharemović. But the Bosnia and Herzegovina defender spins cutely atop the ball and away from bother.
38 min: Bajraktarević curls a lovely cross in from the right for Demirović, who from 12 yards flashes a header inches wide of the bottom-left corner. Donnarumma was rooted to the spot. So close to an equaliser.
36 min: Tell you what, though: replays show that offside decision was close. Had he scored, VAR would have had to get the rulers out. I suspect he was the width of a few pixels off, but I wouldn’t bet the farm on that being the case. Italy certainly can be got at.
35 min: A long pass quarterbacked down the middle by Dzeko. Memic gets ahead of the Italian back line, just inside the box, but heads the dropping ball over the bar. It would have been a spectacular goal had he connected properly. Or a spectacular disallowed goal: the flag goes up for offside.
34 min: … and now Demirović wallops Calafiori from behind. Bosnia and Herzegovina perhaps showing a little frustration at the lack of reward for their efforts.
33 min: Barella slaloms elegantly down the middle of the park and is cynically clipped by Sunjic, who is slightly fortunate not to go into the book. Barella would have found himself in a lot of space had he got past Sunjic … which he kind of had. Lucky Sunjic.
