In the early hours of Sunday morning (10th), Group C of the UEFA Europa League saw one of the most important matches of the tournament. Last year's tournament winners, Italy, suffered a draw in their new leader Spalletti's debut in charge, shaking hands with Northern Macedonia 1-1 away from home, a result that puts their progression in jeopardy. Next up, they host Ukraine in the early hours of Wednesday morning (13th) in a match that will decide their fate.
On the eve of the match, the Italian team suffered an unfavorable blow as two of their attacking core players, Federico Giovanni Aizza and Lorenzo Brigittini, were unfortunately injured and were unable to play. Nevertheless, Spaletti stuck to the 433 formation that he used to lead Napoli to the Serie A title, with two Lazio players, Enmobili and Sakani, as well as Napoli's flanker, Paulo Litano, making up the attacking line of the team.
Early on in the match, everything seemed to be in Italy's control as Nmobili broke the deadlock just two minutes into the second half to give his team the lead. However, the Italians were not able to sustain their dominance, which set them up for the loss of points. By the 81st minute, North Macedonia's central midfielder, Inisbadihi, made it 1-1 with a penalty kick from outside the box.
