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#3 A Nicolo Barella masterclass for Italy
Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella produced one of the better performances of the week, breaking lines consistently, dribbling his way out of pressure, commanding the zones on the right and setting up Pellegrini for the opener.
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Barella found a curving pass behind Netherland's three-man defence as he spotted his teammate making the run, eventually feeding it exactly where he wanted and registering a quality assist.
It is safe to say that Georginio Wijnaldum was no match for Barella when he was tasked with stopping the 23-year-old. The Italian opened up lanes across the pitch and displayed a complete midfielder's performance, bringing much joy to Roberto Mancini, who is one of his biggest admirers.
#2 Netherland's vulnerable highline
The three-man defence formed by the likes of Stefan De Vrij, Virgil Van Dijk and Nathan Ake did not have good game against Italy. These players are impressive for their respective clubs but struggled to play in the high line that Frank de Boer deployed.
While the Dutch failed to dominate much of the ball, only seeing 45% of possession, their incredibly high defensive line almost played into Mancini's game plan. Wide runners, Federico Chiesa and Lorenzo Pellegrini, caused issues for the away side while Moise Kean versus Nathan Ake was a tricky battle to watch in the second half as the Everton man replaced Chiesa.
The last time these Italy and the Netherlands met at the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, the Azzuri snatched a late goal through a slick move finished by a polished Barella header, taking away three points right at the death.
It would be safe to say that the Netherlands played better than they did in the reverse fixture but the work ahead is massive. Ronald Koeman has left a huge void, and De Boer cannot be fumbling upon formulas, especially as the Dutch are looking to retain their top spot after fall down the pecking order for group stage qualifications.
#1 Spoils shared at Bergamo
A close encounter came to an end, with the two European giants sharing the spoils. Neither sides were able to unleash themselves truly as chances were met but squandered aplenty.
Roberto Mancini would be pleased to see how Italy dominated the Oranje, and his confidence was sky-high when he was asked about whether Italy would qualify or not. He said:
"We'll win the last two games and we'll qualify."
For the Dutch, it was a bit of a smash-and-grab performance. Luuk de Jong was at the end of one of the Netherlands' better moves on Wednesday night but his attempt was wide and that summed up his team's night.
Van de Beek opened his account for the Netherlands as he snatched away a point but Italy cruised through the majority of the game. Frank de Boer would not be happy with what he saw from the team, especially in the first half.
We did, however, see some elite defending from both sides in the second half, including top-notch saves by the likes of Gianluigi Donnarumma and Jasper Cillessen. While the forwards had a tough day at the office, the defenders of both teams grew into the game and came out as clear winners.
