Italy, Ventura:"We took a small step forward & accomplished our objectives"

Mission accomplished: although Italy suffered more than expected, they were able to defeat Albania and qualify for the playoffs for the World Cup qualifiers as a number one seed. A goal by Candreva in the second half was decisive- after the match Giampiero Ventura spoke to Rai Sport: “We reached the objectives we had set, we took another small step forward also on the game management and personality fronts, but we give away too many balls. I confirm what I have been saying: to accomplish something you need time. My reaction after Candreva’s goal? I believe we deserved to have the lead because we had some amazing goal scoring chances, I didn’t want to celebrate because I was happy inside. What can change from now until the playoffs? For one thing the health of some players will become less important, but I was confident before when there were dramatic moments so I’m even more so now”