Andrea Pirlo was left on the sidelines as Italy took a hard-fought 1-0 win away from their Euro qualifying game with Bulgaria on Monday.
The 36 year old has been in fine form for club side New York City in recent weeks, keeping Frank Lampard out of the starting eleven, but it wasn’t enough for him to keep his place in the national side.
It seems like the The Azzurri are finally planning for life after beyond their long-time talisman.
Danielle Di Rossi was the hero and the villain of the night, slamming in a sixth minute penalty before seeing red early in the second half.
Both sides ultimately finished with ten men, as Ilijan Mitsanski was dismissed for the visitors.
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Italy are top of Group H with two games remaining – two clear of Norway in second and three clear of Croatia in third. They still have to play Azerbaijan and Norway.