M. Politano has scored a goal for Italy! Assist by R. Gagliardini.
Credit to Italy for remaining patient right until the final stages. Gagliardini is credited with the assist as he rolled the ball into Politano's path, but Verratti also played a major part in the build-up.
Incredibly cruel on the United States, as they concede to what will surely be the last meaningful kick of the match. It is a well-worked goal, with Gagliardini playing Verratti's ball into Politano's path with a first-time pass of his own, and the Inter Milan ace keeps his composure by tucking the ball out of Horvath's reach.
90' +3
Italy win a corner in the third minute of added time, but it again comes to nothing. USA look as though they have done enough to claim a positive result.
87'
M. Politano enters the game and replaces K. Lasagna.
Lasagna, who really should have taken one of his chances in the second half, makes way for Politano. A few audible jeers for Lasagna as he leaves the field.
83'
S. Lletget enters the game and replaces K. Acosta.
R. Gall enters the game and replaces C. Pulišić.
Pulisic has not seen an awful lot of the ball today, and the Borrussia Dortmund youngster has been taken off with seven minutes to go. Gall is on for his senior debut.
Sarachan is making the most of the number of subs available to him, as Acosta is replaced by Lletget for USA's fifth alteration.
A sustained spell of pressure for the Azzurri, culminating in De Sciglio shooting over the crossbar from outside the box.
82'
Into the final eight minutes of the match at the Luminus Arena and Italy appear to have run out of ideas. Mancini's side have had countless chances to edge in front, but once again a failure to convert looks as though it will cost them.
80'
USA are not content with what would be an impressive draw here; they are pushing forward for a winner. Second-half substitute Wood guides a volley wide from 10 yards after Italy failed to clear a corner.
78'
Kean always looks a threat when he has the ball at his feet. The Juve youngster charges down the left and, after getting the better of Carter-Vickers, blasts a shot across the face of goal. It is just not happening for Italy!
76'
R. Gagliardini enters the game and replaces N. Barella.
Mancini turns to Gagliardini for the remaining 15 minutes or so, with Barella the player to make way.
75'
J. Villafaña enters the game and replaces R. Cannon.
USA make a third change of the contest, bringing on Villafana for Cannon.
Minute
Description
72'
ANOTHER CHANCE GOES BEGGING! Lasagna fails to convert from a one-on-one for the second time this half, blasting the ball right at Horvath when through on goal. The offside flag stayed down, though it would have been referred to VAR had the ball found the net.
70'
GREAT STOP! Horvath is doing his chances of regular starts in 2019 no harm at all. Grifo's curler is heading for the top corner, but there is the Club Brugge goalkeeper yet again to push it over the crossbar.
68'
Grifo floats in the free-kick, which is cleared away. There is an infringement in the box, anyway, so it wouldn't have counted even if Italy did manage to muster a chance from that latest set-piece delivery.
66'
Cannon lunges in on Emerson and is a little fortunate not to pick up a second yellow card. This friendly has an edge to it, emphasised by the five yellows that have already been dished out.
64'
FIRST USA CHANCE! Pretty much out of nowhere, the United States could easily have opened the scoring. Zimmerman peels off his man at the back post and is denied only by an impressive Sirigu save - his first of the game.
62'
B. Wood enters the game and replaces J. Sargent.
M. Kean enters the game and replaces D. Berardi.
W. Trapp enters the game and replaces M. Delgado.
Here comes the first of USA's subs as Delgado is replaced by Trapp.
Talented Juventus youngster Kean is on for Berardi, who did not really make the most of his big chance today.
Wood comes on for his 45th senior cap in United States colours, taking over from Sargent for the remaining half an hour or so.
61'
More than an hour has now been played at the Luminus Arena and we still await the game's first goal. Plenty of options for both managers to turn to, and we will surely see a number of changes in the remaining half an hour.
58'
S. Sensi gets yellow.
USA win a free kick in a dangerous crossing position, which they fail to make the most of - the referee spots an infringement and the attack ends. It is worth pointing out that VAR is in use for this friendly, though it has not been required so far.
Sensi, making his senior debut today, pulls back on Sargent to stop a counter and joins team-mate De Sciglio in the referee's notebook.
56'
Barella blasts an attempt high over the bar from range. USA are offering more of an attacking threat in this second half, but they do not really look as though they have a goal in them.
54'
GOOD CHANCE! Many players expected the ball to roll out of play, but half-time sub Grifo does not give up on it and so nearly sets up an opening goal for his side. The cross back into the centre is a good one, but Verratti can only direct his header off target from six yards.
52'
This second half has not got going at all, not helped by that stoppage in play a few moments ago. Italy need to find their momentum again if they are to end their disappointing year on a relative high.
50'
There is a stoppage in play as a supporter has made his way onto the field to hug a few of the Italy players.
46'
V. Grifo enters the game and replaces F. Chiesa.
Italy's liveliest attacking player in the first half, Fiorentina ace Chiesa, is replaced by Grifo at the interval.
United States, who have won three of their 10 matches in 2018, get us back underway for the start of the second half.
45' +2
HALF-TIME: ITALY 0-0 UNITED STATES
45' +1
K. Acosta gets yellow.
Acosta catches Verratti, and it is fair to say that the Italian midfielder is not happy with the contact. Just a yellow card from Cakir - the fourth of the match.
45'
UNLUCKY! A fourth save of the half for Horvath to make, this time palming Verratti's free-kick delivery away from goal. It appeared to be a cross, but that could so easily have ended in the back of the net.
43'
R. Cannon gets yellow.
S. Moore gets yellow.
A nasty one, this, as Cannon rakes his boot down Emerson's ankle. That's three first-half cautions in what is supposed to be a friendly!
Moore catches Barella on the shin and was always likely to be shown a yellow card by experienced Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir.
42'
This is Horvath's first appearance for USA since Sarachan's first match in charge a year ago, and he has done his reputation no harm at all. Italy will be wondering just how this one remains goalless as we enter the final few minutes of the half.
40'
FINGERTIP STOP! Horvath with another save to make - and this is the pick of the first-half bunch. Berardi sends a curler towards the top corner, but the USA goalkeeper gets the smallest of touches to the ball to help it over the crossbar.
39'
Chiesa has switched to the left flank, and the Fiorentina man's cross was almost perfectly weighted for Berardi. A touch off Zimmerman appeared to put Berardi off.
37'
Half-time is now fast approaching in Genk and it is looking like being a frustrating first half for Mancini's side - just like it was against Portugal three days ago in that Nations League clash.
35'
Berardi with some nice footwork in the final third, which ultimately counts for little as USA are able to clear their lines when the ball enters the box. One-way traffic at the Luminus Arena.
33'
Italy are not doing a great deal with possession at the moment. It is a case of slowly probing away for the Azzurri, whose two major chances so far fell the way of Chiesa and Bonucci - Hovath keeping out both attempts.
29'
Half an hour of the friendly played and the pace has just started to slow slightly. Italy are still the side on top, but they have not created any sort of openings over the past five or six minutes.
27'
Verratti is given plenty of time and space in midfield and attempts to float the ball over the top for the lively Chiesa, only to get a little too much on his overhit pass. USA having to dig deep at the moment.
25'
Twenty minutes of the first half to go and Italy will wonder how they have yet to take the lead. Chiesa failed to make the most of a presentable opportunity, while a couple of other decent openings have also come and gone for the European nation.
23'
CHANCE! Chiesa glides past Delgado down the right-hand side and floats a dangerous cross towards the back post, but Emerson can only guide the ball high over the bar with his head.
19'
M. De Sciglio gets yellow.
De Sciglio slides in on Delgado towards the touchline and is shown the game's first yellow card.
18'
BIG MISS! Sensi floats a delightful cross into the middle, where Bonucci was left unmarked. The experienced centre-back sticks out a leg but aims his attempt right at Horvath from five yards out.
17'
A rare foray forward for the United States culminates in a cross being headed clear - just - by Bonucci. Up the other end of the field, a last-ditch challenge from Carter-Vickers denies Berardi a clean shot at goal.
15'
Mancini's men are continuing to probe away in search of a breakthrough goal. A cross into the box from the right is nodded wide of the target by Berardi, who had a little too much to do 12 yards from goal.
13'
The Azzurri are not afraid to go long when going from back to front, with Bonucci seeing plenty of the ball. The four-time world champions are dominating possession.
11'
WAYWARD! Not the worst attempt from Chiesa, who has been the brightest of Italy's attacking players so far. Twenty-five yards from goal, the Fiorentina man strikes the ball a yard wide of Horvath's goal.
9'
Italy's movement off the ball has been very bright, causing the United States plenty of problems. Sarachan, not for the first time, is using a three-man backline for today's friendly.
7'
United States have struggled to get the ball out of their own half of the field so far. One good chance for Italy, which Chiesa was unable to make the most of when breaking through on goal.
5'
SAVE! An early save for Horvath to make, racing off his line to get to Chiesa's outside-of-the-boot attempt. That all came through a long ball from Bonucci down the right flank.
3'
The opening few minutes of this friendly have been played almost exclusively in the United States' half of the field. Sarachan's men are being penned right in early on.
1'
We are underway in the Belgian city of Genk for what is the final outing of 2018 for both Italy and the United States.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the international friendly between Italy and the United States at the Luminus Arena in Gent. The Azzurri drew 0-0 at home to Portugal at the weekend to miss out on a place at next summer’s Nations League finals, while their opponents were beaten 3-0 by England in their most recent outing.
ITALY XI (4-3-3): Salvatore Sirigu; Mattia De Sciglio, Francesco Acerbi, Leonardo Bonucci (c), Emerson; Nicolo Barella, Stefano Sensi, Marco Verratti; Federico Chiesa, Kevin Lasagna, Domenico Berardi
USA XI (3-1-4-2): Ethan Horvath; Cameron Carter-Vickers, Walker Zimmerman, Aaron Long; Tyler Adams; Reggie Cannon, Marco Delgado, Kellyn Acosta, Shaquell Moore; Christian Pulisic (c), Joshua Sargent
USA subs: Brad Guzan, Wil Trapp, Jorge Villafana, Timothy Weah, Bobby Wood, Sebastian Lletget, Matt Miazga, Julian Green, Romain Gall
The two teams are now out on the field at the Luminus Arena and we are moments away from kick-off. First, the anthems for both nations...
The USA are stuck on four wins from their last 15 matches, most recently picking up victory against neighbouring nation Mexico in September. Four-time world champions Italy have also struggled for victories in 2018, meanwhile, with their stalemate against European champions Portugal making it just two wins in eight under Roberto Mancini.
Italy are unable to break down United States in a goalless first half in Genk. The Azzurri were dominant pretty much right from the off, creating a couple of clear-cut openings for Chiesa and Bonucci, which the game's star man Horvath - making his first international start in a year - was equal to on both occasions.
The four-time world champions need to make the most of their dominance or else what has been an underwhelming 2018 will end on a low note. USA failed to register a single attempt in the first half, meanwhile, and look as though they are happy to hold on for what would be a positive draw.
Thanks for joining our coverage today. Until next time, goodbye!
A positive end to 2018 for Italy, then, and they now have four months to wait until their next fixture, with the Euro 2020 qualifying draw scheduled to take place in Dublin in early December. USA, on the other hand, end the calendar year with back-to-back defeats, and it may be all change in the dugout for them by the time they are next in action in March.
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