Italy edged closer to qualifying for Euro 2020 as a Jorginho penalty secured victory against Group J rivals Finland.
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho converted the winner after Nicolo Barella’s shot struck Sauli Vaisanen’s hand.
In-form Norwich striker Teemu Pukki had brought Finland level by scoring from the spot – his seventh goal in six games in all competitions this season.
Italy, who took the lead through Ciro Immobile’s header, are nine points clear of third-placed Armenia.
They need four points from their remaining four games to guarantee a spot at Euro 2020, with games against Greece and Lichtenstein to come in October.
Immobile celebrated his opener – a well-taken header from Federico Chiesa’s cross – with an outpouring of emotion, having gone 10 international appearances without a goal since finding the net in a 1-0 win over Israel in September 2017.
The main negative for Italy was the early withdrawal of left-back Emerson through injury and he could be a doubt for Chelsea’s Premier League trip to Wolves on Saturday.
Finland remain second in Group J, three points above Armenia, and are in a strong position to secure their first-ever qualification for a major tournament, with the top two from each group going through to next summer’s tournament.
And in Pukki, who won his penalty after being fouled by Stefano Sensi, they have one of Europe’s most prolific strikers on current form, with goals in four consecutive internationals and five from their six qualifiers so far.
