Italy v Germany player ratings: Gnonto 8, Pellegrini 7; Kimmich 8, Werner 5

Nations League opener finishes 1-1 at Renato Dall'Ara

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  ITALY PLAYER RATINGS: Gianluigi Donnarumma 7 – Made a key save to deny Gnabry in the opening exchanges. He could do little about the goal, but recovered to make another vital clearance late on. Getty

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  Alessandro Florenzi 7 – The Italy skipper made a key interception to deny a low Muller shot, the highlight of his impressive first half. He was sometimes guilty of leaving gaps behind him when he broke forward, but overall, an impressive outing. AFP

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  Francesco Acerbi 5 – With so many exciting young players starting for Italy, Acerbi’s inclusion was a surprise, and he struggled to deal with Germany’s pace. Getty

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  Alessandro Bastoni 6 – Always a threat going forward, the Inter man ¬– and Tottenham target – was guilty of tracking back when Italy lost the ball. Getty

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  Cristiano Biraghi 5 – Largely anonymous all evening, he was second to the loose ball that led to the equaliser. He was substituted soon after. Getty

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  Davide Frattesi 6 – Cut out a dangerous pass at one end, and had a go from distance at the other, as he showed his importance at both ends early on in his international debut. Found himself in dangerous positions on numerous occasions, but often lacked composure when it mattered. Getty

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  Bryan Cristante 6 – His range of passing was good, and he made a number of interceptions, but he can sometimes slow Italy’s play. He was also overwhelmed by Germany’s fluidity at times. Getty

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  Sandro Tonali 7 – Covered well when Germany’s slick passing threatened to cut through Italy’s midfield, and was a vital cog in front of the Italian backline. Looked slick in possession. The future of Italy’s midfield. AP

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  Matteo Politano 6 – He grew into the game after the restart, first by sending a teasing ball into the Germany area shortly after the restart – which was marginally too high for Scamacca – then by having a shot which was blocked by Rudiger. Was forced off with injury after the hour mark. AP

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  Gianluca Scamacca 7 – Tried his luck from multiple angles and distances, including an overhead kick. He broke the offside trap early on but sent a tame effort wide of the goal, before hitting the post from distance after a fortuitous flick off his own leg. He did well considering he was up against two experienced heads in Rudiger and Sule. Getty

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  Lorenzo Pellegrini 7 – Italy look far better when he’s in the side, and he scored the decisive goal from close range following Gnonto’s cross. His double nutmeg of both Kimmich and Goretzka went down well. EPA

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  SUBS: Degnand Wilfried Gnonto (Politano 65') 8 - The 18-year-old made a big impact on his international debut. After making his physical presence felt when he held off Kehrer, he showed a burst of pace to get past his man and sent in a wicked cross for Pellegrini to open the scoring. The crowd made a lot of noise every time he touched the ball. Getty

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  Federico Dimarco (Biraghi 80') N/A – Another debutant, and added a bit of a presence that had been missing. Getty

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  Tommaso Pobega (Tonali 80’) N/A – Showed some neat touches in his cameo, and did little to harm his chances of future game time. Getty

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  Matteo Cancellieri (Scamacca 85’) N/A – A late addition, and didn’t have a great deal of time to make an impact. Getty

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  Samuele Ricci (Frattesi 85’) N/A – The last of the debutants for the home side. Getty

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  GERMANY PLAYER RATINGS: Manuel Neuer 6 – The German stopper had a very quiet evening, except for picking the ball out of his net. Could do little about the goal. Getty

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  Benjamin Henrichs 6 – Worked well up and down the flank, and though he didn’t necessarily link well with those around him, can be pleased with his contribution. Getty

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  Niklas Sule 6 – Italy were kept at bay for much of the game, and even when they grew into it, their counter attacks often found Sule in the way. Reuters

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  Antonio Rudiger 7 – Had his hands full with Scamacca, but the two enjoyed a good battle. His distribution was superb. AP

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  Thilo Kehrer 6 – Did well to shepherd Frattesi away from trouble midway through the first half, and generally did a number on Politano. Overall, fairly quiet. Getty

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  Joshua Kimmich 8 – Pulled Germany level when he found himself in the right place at the right time to steer home. It was well deserved, for his energy had kept Germany on the front foot for much of the game. AFP

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  Leon Goretzka 5 – Had two shots from the edge of the area but leaned back on both occasions, and could only watch on as they finished high and wide. Sloppy from the usually far more effective midfielder. EPA

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  Serge Gnabry 7 – A constant menace. On one occasion, he slalomed his way through a number of Italian defenders and hit a powerful effort that was well saved by Donnarumma. Later, before the break, he blazed an effort over the bar when he should really have hit the target. EPA

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  Thomas Muller 6 – Unusually quiet. His best effort saw him show excellent positional awareness to pull away from his defender and get a shot at goal, but it was blocked by Florenzi. AFP

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  Leroy Sane 4 – Disappointing evening from the winger. Saw little of the ball, and did little with it when he had possession. Getty

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  Timo Werner 5 – The Chelsea man was isolated throughout, his pace unable to break Italy’s defence. Poor distribution on the few times he had the ball. AFP

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  SUBS: Jamal Musiala (Sane 59') 6 – Looked lively and showed some good movement when he came on. AFP

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  Jonas Hofmann (Henrichs 59’) 6 – Made a positive impact and was involved in the equaliser. EPA

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  Kai Havertz (Muller 70’) 7 – Involved in Kimmich’s equaliser, and displayed his customary comfort and strength on the ball. AP

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  Ilkay Gundogan (Goretzka 70') 6 – Brought some fresh energy to the middle. AP

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  David Raum (Gnabry 81') N/A – Conceded a free-kick with his first touch when he brought down Gnonto. Reuters

Joshua Kimmich's well-taken equaliser earned Germany a 1-1 draw with Italy in their Nations League opener on Saturday, ensuring his side remain unbeaten under manager Hansi Flick.

Looking to get over their disappointment at failing to qualify for the World Cup for the second successive tournament, Italy named an experimental side for their League A, Group Three match in Bologna, and gave Flick's team a real test.

Roma's Lorenzo Pellegrini edged the hosts in front 20 minutes from fulltime as Italy looked primed to secure only their second win in their last six games, but Kimmich pounced three minutes later to earn his side a point.

The draw means Germany have won eight and drawn two of their games since Flick took over from Joachim Loew after last summer's European Championships, with England up next in the Nations League on Tuesday, with Italy taking on Hungary.

Assessing the performances from Renato Dall'Ara, Nick Judd has provided his player ratings in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.