Italy maintained their place atop Group E and clinched a berth in the knockout rounds at Euro 2016 with a 1-0 victory over Sweden on Friday at Stadium Municipal in Toulouse, France. Eder played the role of hero with the game-winning goal in the 88th minute.

The match featured extended stretches of listless play from both sides. The Azzurri seemed content to play for a draw for much of the fixture before finding the late winner. Meanwhile, Sweden’s attacking woes continued as they generated no shots on target.

Here’s an updated look at the Group E table ahead of Saturday’s clash between Belgium and Ireland:

Paul Myers of RFI noted ahead of the match that Italy head coach Antonio Conte was pleased with his side’s determination in an opening victory over Belgium. He was focused on making sure the players didn’t lose that edge during the rest of group play, though.

“It was a good performance against Belgium and we made the best start to the tournament,” Conte said. “But we’ve not done anything yet, nor have we already qualified for the last 16, which is our first objective. We must have our feet firmly on the ground.”

To say the first half lacked action would probably be an understatement. The teams combined for just four total shot attempts with only one of those on target. Sweden won the possession battle at 59 per cent, but they created little sustained attacking pressure.

Italy seemed content to slow the pace and rely on their back line to thwart any offensive forays from the Blue and Yellow. The only moments of tension were long, floated passes into the box, usually directed toward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but the Azzurri did well to track down loose balls and clear.

Oliver Kay of the Times came away surprised by Italy’s style of play in the first 45 minutes:

Nothing much changed immediately after the half-time break. The Azzurri did increase their offensive efforts during the first 15 minutes of the second half, but they still never committed a lot of numbers forward. Keeping the clean sheet to ensure a draw clearly remained the biggest goal.

Parody Twitter account Boring James Milner jokingly summed it up best:

Finally, a match with very few memorable moments received a thrill at the end as a terrific individual effort from Eder allowed him to create space before burying the only goal of the match. Simone Zaza earned the assist for a header into the forward’s path.

Anthony Lopopolo of The Score noted it was the perfect time for Eder to come alive:

WhoScored.com highlighted the Inter Milan star’s success at the international level:

Looking ahead, Italy now have the option to rest some starters in the group finale against Ireland after ensuring their advancement. The Azzurri may wait to see what’s still on the line after tomorrow’s match in the group before deciding how to handle the fixture, though.

Things are far more unsettled for Sweden. Erik Hamren’s side have lacked efficiency in the final third. That’s problematic heading into a match with Belgium that they will likely need to win, though they will need to wait another day to know the exact details. Either way, there’s a lot of work to do before Wednesday.  

 

Post-Match Reaction

To follow.

 

All match statistics courtesy of the tournament’s official site.

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