Italy 1-1 Ukraine: Genoa bridge collapse victims honoured in emotional friendly match
- Published
Both teams stopped playing in the 43rd minute and applauded in memory of those who died
Italy were held to a friendly draw by Ukraine on an emotional night at Sampdoria's Stadio Luigi Ferraris which honoured the victims of the bridge collapse in Genoa.
In August, a section of the Morandi motorway collapsed, killing 43 people and injuring more than a dozen.
The match was paused in the 43rd minute as players, staff and supporters applauded in memory of those who died.
A message which read "Genoa in the heart" was shown on the big screen.
Before kick-off, Italy boss Roberto Mancini - who played for Genoa side Sampdoria for 15 years - said the events surrounding the bridge collapse were "a moment of strong emotion" while Ukraine manager and former AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko said it was "difficult to find the words for such a tragedy."
"In these moments, people must help each other, because there are no frontiers in front of the tragedies that affect the world," Shevchenko added.
Juventus winger Federico Bernardeschi's powerful shot spun into the back of the net in the second half following a mistake from keeper Andriy Pyatov to give Italy the lead.
Ruslan Malinovskiy equalised for Ukraine with a bouncing volley seven minutes later.
Italy's failure to mark the occasion with a win means they have picked up just two victories in their last 12 games.
Mascots wore T-shirts displaying the message "Genoa in the heart" during the national anthems and both teams posed for a photo before kick-off
Italy manager Roberto Mancini also paid tribute - he spent 15 years as a player with local club Sampdoria
Italy's Leonardo Bonucci was among those who sang the national anthem passionately before kick-off