[U21 Play-off] Israel keep Azzurrini at bay

Italy were held to a goalless draw by Israel in Ancona in the first leg of their 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship play-off to leave the tie wide open when the sides meet again on Wednesday.

The Azzurrini dominated much of the match but were unable to turn possession into meaningful chances, and now the five-time European champions are under pressure ahead of the crucial return leg in Tel Aviv.

Their best opportunity fell to Marco Motta who headed over after 17 minutes, giving Israel, who knocked out France at this stage of qualifying for the 2007 tournament, real cause for optimism as they bid to reach the finals for the second time.

The hosts got off to a fine start and Israel goalkeeper Ohad Levita was called into action after two minutes to beat away Luca Cigarini's free-kick. Sebastian Giovinco then fired wide from the edge of the area, before Motta sent his close-range header over the bar with less than 20 minutes played.

Italy saw most of the ball for the remainder of the half, but it was Israel who came closer to breaking the deadlock when Bebars Natcho's 40th-minute free-kick went narrowly wide.

Giovinco and his Juventus team-mate Claudio Marchisio were Italy's danger men during the second period, yet both were let down by poor finishing. At the other end, Israel continued to menace from free-kicks and, on the hour-mark, Andrea Consigli did well to keep out Lior Rafaelov's attempt.

Italy controlled proceedings for the final 20 minutes without – a chance for Pablo Osvaldo excepted – really threatening the Israel goal as Motti Iwanir's side hung on for a creditable draw.

"We played well, not brilliantly," Azzurrini coach Pierluigi Casiraghi said. "We created a number of chances but didn't score.

"I think we did what we had to. We dominated the game except for the second part of the first half.

Unfortunately a lot of players will be missing [Giovinco, Marchisio and Daniele Dessena through suspension] for the return leg, but we hope to have Mario Balotelli [absent here because of flu] back."

2009 UEFA Euro U21 Championship Play-off First leg Results:
Friday 10 October
Austria 2-1 Finland
Germany 1-1 France
Turkey 1-0 Belarus
Wales 2-3 England
Saturday 11 October
Denmark 0-1 Serbia
Italy 0-0 Israel
Switzerland 2-1 Spain

2009 UEFA Euro U21 Championship Play-off Second leg Fixtures:
Tuesday 14 October
Belarus v Turkey
England v Wales
Finland v Austria
Spain v Switzerland
Wednesday 15 October
France v Germany
Israel v Italy
Serbia v Denmark

Source: UEFA