Euro 2020 qualifiers: 3 talking points from Italy's 5-0 win over Liechtenstein

#2 Liechtenstein give a good account of themselves early on

Dennis Salanovic was lively for the home side

Liechtenstein are very much one of the minnows in Europe. They are regularly walloped by the top teams, and few if any gave them a chance of getting anything from a game against the four-time world champions.

The home side have never participated in a major international competition. The difference in quality between the two sides is reinforced by the fact that Liechtenstein do not have a professional league, while Serie A is one of the strongest in the world.

A cursory look at the scoreline would suggest that Italy walked their way through the game. But nothing could be further from the truth, as Liechtenstein gave as good as they got and put the visitors on the backfoot for most of the match.

Indeed, they could have gone ahead as early as the first minute when Dennis Salanovic forced Salvatore Sirigu into a fine save. This was to be a recurring battle throughout the match.

In total Liechtenstein had eight shots, with four of those being on target, while they also had five corners despite having just 20% of the possession. They gave as good as they got against their more illustrious neighbors, until their defensive lapses in the last 20 minutes led to the whitewash.

Although they ultimately fell to a 5-0 defeat, fans of the nation can hold their heads high; their team held their own against one of the most experienced sides in the world.