Italy coach Giampiero Ventura was pleased to come through a testing night against Albania with a 2-0 win after an unscheduled stoppage.
Play was held up for nearly 10 minutes just before the hour mark as Albania fans threw fireworks onto the field in Palermo, close to the goal defended by Gianluigi Buffon on his 1,000th career appearance.
Play resumed after Albania captain Ansi Agolli appealed for calm and Italy, leading 1-0 before the stoppage, doubled their winning margin in the World Cup qualifier through Ciro Immobile’s header.
Daniele De Rossi had scored the first goal from a 12th-minute penalty, which was also held up by flares being thrown into the penalty area.
And the Roma midfielder, speaking to Rai Sport, said of the longer second-half delay: “It affected our concentration.
“I don’t know what caused the throwing of the firecrackers and it’s sad that they gave a bad image of themselves.”
Ventura was just happy to come through with a win as his new-look team continues to develop.
He said: “At first perhaps we lacked the composure and the fluidity required but, other than one shot (by Odise Roshi), Buffon did not have another save to make.
“In the second half, we came out well and saw a beautiful national team. It is a small step towards the construction of a new group.
“It was not an extraordinarily exciting game, but there is every reason to create something exciting. What is emerging is a real group. Although there are many new players and so many youngsters, I see every reason why we can achieve something good in the future.”
Albania coach Gianni De Biasi was unhappy that his team’s fans caused the delay but praised his side’s performance against his homeland.
He told Rai Sport: “We were in the game until the second goal, that is the most positive thing about the game today.
“We played against a team that has good quality, with an extraordinary condition, while ours do not play at club level. It is a more than acceptable performance, but we must also achieve results.
“The smoke bombs? I’m disappointed. Our fans pained me, I never thought I would see such a thing.”