The game was technically a home fixture for Ukraine but was played at Bayer Leverkusen’s stadium in Germany because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The result came as something of a surprise after both teams created plenty of chances on Monday night (Tuesday AEDT).
Italy stayed devoted to coach Luciano Spalletti’s all-action attacking style despite needing only to avoid defeat.
Federico Chiesa, Giovanni di Lorenzo and Davide Frattesi all missed excellent chances in the first half for the Azzurri.
Ukraine, who were angered by a decision to not give them a penalty in added time for what seemed like a trip on Mykhailo Mudryk by Bryan Cristante, could still qualify for Euro 2024 via the playoffs.
“We are very happy. We are where we deserve to be, after all the difficulties that we had,” Italy captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma said.
AAP
