Soriano sees a shot blocked on the edge of the penalty area, with Conte even trying to collect balls which have been knocked out of play. Verratti cuts inside from the right, before trying to loop a cross into the penalty area, but the PSG midfielder slips upon contact with the ball and Mihaylov has merely a goal kick to deal with.
90' +2
A Bulgaria free-kick delivery from the right is easily claimed low down by Sirigu. Immobile breaks into the penalty area after robbing Manolev of possession, but a low cross into the box in search of Gabbiadini is cleared by Minev.
90' +1
M. Darmian gets yellow.
90'
Darmian picks up a yellow card for a cynical foul on Bojinov, as the Ternana striker looked to break away and give his defence some respite. Conte is going absolutely wild on the sideline, with the former Juventus coach living vicariously through every single one of his players. There are four minutes of stoppage time.
89'
88'
R. Soriano gets yellow.
V. Vasilev enters the game and replaces G. Milanov.
Only a couple of minutes remain in Sofia, with all hands to the Bulgarian pump in terms of keeping out the relentless Azzurri waves. Conte's men smell blood and are surging forward in waves to try and net a winner!
86'
JUST WIDE BY GABBIADINI! The substitute is picked out in space by a Immobile flick on, but the Napoli forward can only skew an effort narrowly beyond the far upright! It is inches away from a potential winning goal, with Conte just about ready to race off in celebration!
85'
S. Slavchev enters the game and replaces I. Popov.
Chiellini and Immobile almost combine! A corner is whipped in from the right-hand side, before the Juventus defender knocks the ball down for his teammate! The Dortmund man can't make telling contact, however, with the hosts able to clear their lines! It all appears to be unravelling for Petev's side!
84'
Éder has scored a goal for Italy! Assist by G. Chiellini.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! BRILLIANT STRIKE FROM EDER! The Sampdoria man marks his debut with an equaliser of great importance! He is picked out on the edge of the box, before spotting Mihaylov off his line and curling a brilliant effort into the top-right corner! Bulgarian hearts have been broken.
82'
C. Immobile gets yellow.
Wide from Chiellini! A corner delivery from the right-hand side picks out the Juventus man, but he can only divert a terrible effort over the crossbar! Mihaylov comes out to complain at his defenders for not winning the ball, but he can hardly moan given his woeful attempts at commanding his own area this evening. Immobile then goes down claiming a foul in the box, but receives a yellow card for simulation.
Minute
Description
80'
Candreva is forced to leave the field for a spot of treatment, but the Lazio man is urgently hurried back into play to aid a late push from the away side. Darmian tries to break down the right-hand side, but he is halted by Minev, before the Bulgaria left-back hoofs a powerful clearance all the way upfield to Sirigu.
78'
Narrowly over 10 minutes remain for Bulgaria to survive, but still Petev's men continue to streak forward in numbers whenever possible. A hooked ball into the box from Barzagli looks for Immobile, but Manolev heads away from danger. The Azzurri are looking low on ideas, it must be said.
77'
M. Gabbiadini enters the game and replaces L. Antonelli.
76'
A quick ball into the penalty area loops over Immobile and into the hands of Mihaylov, with the former Torino striker visibly frustrated by some poor service from his teammate. Moments later, the Dortmund man is caught just offside as he looked to race through into the clear to test the Bulgaria goalkeeper. A back-post cross from Milanov swirls in the wind and threatens to test Sirigu, but the PSG shot-stopper fortunately watches it bounce away from danger.
74'
The clock continues to tick down towards a famous Bulgarian victory, with the home fans really beginning to believe in the stands. Goalscorer Mitsanski is withdrawn for the hosts, with Bojinov thrown into the fray for the remaining quarter of an hour in Sofia.
73'
V. Bozhinov enters the game and replaces I. Mitsanski.
72'
R. Soriano enters the game and replaces A. Bertolacci.
The rain continues to pour onto the field and also Italy's hopes of topping Group H. Given Croatia's convincing win over Norway earlier, should the Azzurri slip up here tonight, Conte's men will have a large points and goal difference gap to bridge. Soriano is introduced for the visitors, who are trying to bring their midfield to life.
70'
Italy will really feel aggrieved if they are unable to net again before the 90-minute mark, especially with Mihaylov struggling to deal with either the ball itself or possibly the conditions. The former Twente goalkeeper has easily been Bulgaria's least convincing player, yet somehow Conte's men have been unable to capitalise on that fact thus far.
68'
Manolev and Popov combine to foul Antonelli high up the field on the right-hand side, but Petev won't mind as long as his men aren't giving away free kicks inside their own half. Immobile unleashes a powerful shot that Mihaylov beats away unconvincingly, before Bertolacci follows up and skews a shot high and wide of the near post.
66'
Bulgaria have been able to hold onto the ball fairly well in the second half, with Dyakov buzzing around with intent in the centre of the midfield. Petev looks rather nervous in the hosts' technical area, but his side are performing extremely well. Fatigue could be a real issue, however, with Conte still having some interesting options on the bench to affect proceedings.
64'
M. Aleksandrov goes down with what appears to be a spot of cramp, which could be testament to the amount of hard work Bulgaria's attacking midfielders are doing in terms of tracking back and also breaking forward at real pace. The longer the hosts can frustrate the Azzurri, the more nervous and desperate the visiting midfielder will become.
62'
Eder tries to knock down a header for Immobile to claim, but it doesn't quite come off. Italy do retain possession, however, with Darmian on hand to flight in a looping back-post delivery. It sails some way over the leaping Immobile and Bulgaria survive yet another cross that their goalkeeper simply cannot deal with himself.
60'
The Azzurri have merely half an hour to turn this one around, with Mihaylov not being tested since the restart. A corner delivery is curled into the back post by Italy, but the opposition goalkeeper palms the ball behind again for a second set piece. This one is easily half cleared, before Verratti hammers the loose ball high and wide of the target!
58'
Éder enters the game and replaces S. Zaza.
Mitsanski is caught narrowly offside! Dyakov plays an incisive pass into Popov, who flicks a pass around the corner for his striker to chase - but the Bulgaria forward is halted by the linesman's flag. Conte opts to make his first change, introducing Eder into the fray in place of the quiet Zaza.
56'
S. Dyakov gets yellow.
Milanov is almost able to unleash a shot from the edge of the Italy box, but the CSKA Moscow man is denied, despite Bulgaria matching up the visiting defence man for man. Italy try to break themselves, but Immobile can only fire high and wide from a tight angle after being fed down the right channel.
54'
Immobile is nearly found by a good cross from Antonelli, but a sliding intervention from Bodurov denies the Dortmund forward. Bertolacci then attempts to whip a cross into the box, but the Genoa man sees his delivery easily blocked. Bulgaria are defending well at the moment, repelling a few Azzurri corners in quick succession.
52'
Verratti beats two men in the middle of midfield, before sliding a pass into Zaza, but Bodurov outmuscles the Sassuolo forward. Popov and Gadzhev then combine well down the right flank, but the latter is dispossessed, before Italy break. A long pass tries to pick out another run from Zaza, but Mihaylov is very quick off his line to smother.
50'
Manolev uses a wonderful piece of skill to wriggle in between Verratti and Antonelli, with the right-back earning Bulgaria a free kick in a dangerous area in the process. The delivery is curled towards the back post, before zipping off the wet turf and a few yards wide of the target without any human contact.
48'
Bertolacci goes down heavily in the early minutes, after appearing to have his knee forced into an awkward angle, but the Genoa midfielder should be okay to continue. Conte has opted against changing any of his personnel heading into the second 45 minutes.
46'
We are back underway in the second half in Sofia! The home side have a shock lead to defend, with Italy's extensive unbeaten run in tournament qualifiers looking to be at serious risk this evening!
45' +1
Darmian fires wide with the aid of a deflection! Italy have managed to win plenty of corners in the first half, but their set pieces are yet to result in any clear-cut opportunities. The Torino defender sees another shot blocked from the next delivery lumped into the box, but it doesn't appear to be his day.
44'
Italy continue to recycle possession from side to side, with no real driving force present in the visitors' ranks. Conte's selection of Candreva, Verratti and Bertolacci in the centre of his midfield is certainly raising a few eyebrows, regardless of the Azzurri's injured absentees.
42'
Darmian is forced to leave the field for a moment to be patched up, with the Torino wing-back bleeding profusely from his mouth. He is quickly let back into the action, but he will have to be careful not to get any blood on his shirt, otherwise he will only leave his side numerically disadvantaged for even longer.
40'
Mihaylov is forced to punch a cross away, from within traffic, as the Bulgaria goalkeeper continues to look less than convincing in between the posts in Sofia. There are merely five minutes left in the first half for Italy to claw their way back into the equation.
38'
Italy are being forced further and further back while in possession, as Bulgaria's current gameplan continues to give the Azzurri little opportunity to get in behind. The hosts' back four aren't struggling given that the bulk of play is occurring directly in front of them, it might be a different story if the likes of Bodurov and A. Aleksandrov were dragged out.
36'
Bulgaria have been excellent since somehow fighting their way into the driving seat, with the hosts now winning a free kick some 30 yards from goal. Popov, full of confidence, thumps an effort onto the bar with Sirigu struggling! The PSG goalkeeper hasn't been able to have much effect on this contest so far.
34'
Zaza is given a final warning by the referee after clattering across the back of Bodurov as the Bulgaria defender looked to carry the ball out from defence. One more of those and the Italy striker will certainly pick up a yellow card.
33'
Zaza unleashes a dipping effort from the edge of the box, but the Sassuolo forward's attempt is deflected behind for a corner. Candreva whips it in, but Darmian is penalised for a push on Mitsanski.
31'
Antonelli overlaps down the left-hand side, before receiving the ball from Zaza, but the Milan wing-back's cross is terrible. Moments later, Bertolacci manages to win the visitors a corner, but it is easily cleared at the front post - much to the delight of the home spectators.
29'
The rain is pouring down in Sofia, with adverse conditions certainly suiting the hosts now that they have a lead to defend. Any long passes from Italy could zip through to Mihaylov, or out for a throw in, with relative ease. Petev's first competitive game in charge of his nation certainly couldn't be going much better at the moment.
27'
Italy have had the lion's share of possession since losing the lead, but only due to Bulgaria's willingness to surrender the ball and some territory. There are plenty of white shirts deployed on the edge of the hosts' penalty area, making it incredibly hard for Conte's men to pick gaps with their passing. M. Aleksandrov is nearly fed in behind the visiting back three, but the Ludogorets winger is tracked and dispossessed.
25'
Bulgaria are sitting with essentially two deep back of four now, with only a handful of players willing to counter upfield at pace. Much of the home side's personnel will be stationed with instruction merely to frustrate. Antonelli whips in a cross from the left, but Mihaylov claims.
23'
Italy are trying to keep hold of the ball and use Verratti to pull the strings in midfield, but Bulgaria look hungry to cause an upset here tonight. The hosts streak down the left, but a shot-cum-cross from M. Aleksandrov is charged down by Darmian.
21'
Plenty of physical challenges are being thrown in by the hosts' players in the centre of the park, with the Bulgarian fans whistling any decisions against their side which are given by the referee. Since taking the lead, Petev's men have started to sit a little bit deeper, given that they now have three points to defend.
19'
This game has been entirely turned on its head and Italy's unbeaten run in qualifiers is looking to be under real scrutiny now! Verratti has the chance to whip a free-kick delivery into the Bulgarian box from deep on the left-hand side, but Immobile manages to bend a close-range header wide of the post! He had to do better there.
17'
I. Mitsanski has scored a goal for Bulgaria! Assist by G. Milanov.
GOOOOOOOOAL! MITSANSKI NETS BULGARIA'S SECOND GOAL! The home side now lead 2-1! Again, too much space is given to the home side on the edge of the penalty area, with a cross from Milanov easily nodded home by the Karlsruher striker! Sirigu can merely stand there, with Chiellini to blame in the Italian back three this time.
16'
A long ball looks for Zaza, but Bodurov is able to defuse the situation and set a pass back to Mihaylov. Since equalising, Petev's men have grown massively in confidence. The hosts have kept the ball much better and forced the Azzurri back into their own half. Promising signs for Bulgaria.
15'
Manolev makes a hurried clearance within his own penalty area, after a teasing delivery was whipped in from deep by Candreva. A couple of recent corners have come to absolutely nothing after being taken short by the Azzurri, with the away side perhaps more likely to cause problems by aiming for the likes of Bonucci and Chiellini within the penalty area.
13'
Milanov forces a save out of Sirigu, with the hosts staging something of a comeback with the passionate support of the home fans! That equaliser came from nowhere, with an individual error from Bonucci affording Popov the space required to restore parity.
11'
I. Popov has scored a goal for Bulgaria! Assist by S. Manolev.
GOOOOOOOOOOAL! GREAT EQUALISER FROM POPOV! The Bulgaria attacking midfielder drives into space at the edge of the penalty area, before rifling a low drive into the bottom left corner! Sirigu just isn't able to get down to his right quickly enough and the hosts are back in the game!
10'
Chiellini tries to drive out of the Italy back three, but Mitsanski trips his opponent rather cynically. Immobile is then fed into the left channel, but the former Torino man can do nothing else but win a corner at the near post. Conte's men have controlled the opening stages, with their strikeforce looking bright and dangerous.
8'
Bulgaria finally enjoy some possession in the opposition half, before Mitsanski is found on the periphery of the box. The striker turns and shoots in one motion, but Chiellini charges it down. The hosts keep the pressure on, with a looping back-post cross finding M. Aleksandrov, but the Ludogorets' man's effort is blocked too.
6'
Not a bad start for the Azzurri! Both Immobile and Zaza have already had chances, before an own goal gifted the visitors an early advantage. Italy win themselves a free kick 30 yards out from goal, which Candreva thumps at goal! It moves slightly in the air, but Mihaylov's save is perhaps unnecessary, with the resulting corner ending with Chiellini fouling the goalkeeper.
4'
Y. Minev is unfortunate, scores an own goal!
GOOOOOOOOOOOAL! THE VISITORS TAKE THE LEAD! A cross is whipped in from the left-hand side, which causes havoc in the Bulgarian penalty area! It evades Mihaylov, with Minev getting in ahead of Zaza but forcing the ball into his own net! Not much the defender could do, he had to intervene in some way!
2'
Huge chance for Immobile already! The Dortmund striker is fed in behind the hosts' back four, before Mihaylov makes a decent one-on-one save to deny the former Torino man! The resulting corner is whipped in by Candreva, but A. Aleksandrov manages to head clear.
1'
We are underway in the first half in Sofia! The hosts are in their customary colours of white, green and red, while the Azzurri are in their typical blue strip.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of one of tonight's European Championship Qualifiers, with Antonio Conte's Italy side heading to nearby Bulgaria to try and keep pace with Niko Kovac's Croatia. Following a 5-1 victory over Norway earlier, the Azzurri have some catching up to do. Three matches without a win doesn't make good reading for the hosts, especially when Bulgaria have failed to defeat their adversaries in their last six meetings.
I'm Simon Harrison and I will be keeping you up to date with all of the action from Sofia, as Bulgaria attempt to keep themselves in with a chance of navigating through to the European Championship. Home points are vital for unfancied countries with ambition. Italy are unbeaten in 44 qualifying games across all tournaments, having last lost to France all the way back in 2006. Conte, a perfectionist, has to see his personnel take the three points here tonight.
These two outfits last butted horns last year, with the Azzurri avoiding defeat, but they will hope for a more fruitful visit to Bulgaria this time around. There will be a mismatch in systems, with the hosts opting for a contemporary 4-2-3-1, while Conte pursues control and perfection with his highly utilised 3-5-2 which saw great success in Serie A during his last domestic tenure at Juventus.
TEAM NEWS: This is Ivaylo Petev's first match in charge of the Bulgarian national team, with the new coach opting to make a couple of fairly high-profile alterations. Georgi Milanov and Georgi Iliev have no place in the side, while former Manchester City striker Valeri Bojinov also loses his starting berth. Nikolay Mihaylov has a wealth of experience and is recalled to start in between the posts.
TEAM NEWS: Azzurri have a whole host of injury problems, with Gianluigi Buffon, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Manuel Pasqual, Alessandro Florenzi, Mattia Perin and Mattia De Sciglio missing out for the visitors. Andrea Bertolacci gets his second cap for Conte's men, slotting in a central midfield which consists of Marco Verratti and Antonio Candreva. Luca Antonelli and Matteo Darmian provide the width, while Ciro Immobile and Simone Zaza start up top.
Bulgaria starting line-up (4-2-3-1): Mihaylov; Manolev, Bodurov, A. Aleksandrov, Minev; Dyakov, Gadzhev; Milanov, Popov, M. Alexandrov; Micanski.
HALF TIME! The hosts have a surprising 2-1 lead over Italy at the interval, with goals from Popov and Mitsanski ruling out a very early own goal from Minev. Petev's first game in charge of Bulgaria is going rather well, with the home side countering ruthlessly and otherwise making life very difficult for the Azzurri. Be sure to return for the second-half action in 10 minutes!
FULL TIME! A share of the spoils in Sofia! Italy surge to an equaliser in the late stages, after goals from Popov and Mitsanski left Conte's men with a lead to chase in the second half. An own goal from Minev and a debut strike from Eder were just enough to gift the Azzurri a much-needed away point. That's all we have time for, I've been Simon Harrison and I hope to see you again next time.
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