Second-half strikes from Alessandro Florenzi and Graziano Pelle sealed a 2-1 comeback victory for Italy against Norway on Tuesday evening,denying manager Per-Mathias Hogmo's men an automatic qualifying berth for Euro 2016.Norway finish third in Group H after failing to hold on to second spot, with Croatia's 1-0 win in Malta sufficient enough to leapfrog them into the Euro 2016 finals.Norwich City midfielder Alexander Tettey fired in the opener from the edge of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's area, but a second-half turnaround saw Florenzi and Pelle play the roles of heroes as Italy topped Group H unbeaten.Manager Antonio Conte's men were hardly convincing in their assault, but Italian football writer Marco Messina confirmed a record Azzurri fans will nonetheless be proud of following Tuesday's qualification win:The Stadio Olimpico hosts were always installed as the oppressors in the first half, with Norway hardly having any impact in front of Buffon's goal.But Sod's law intervened, and with the visitors' only shot of the half, Tettey was quickest to meet a bobbling ball just outside the Italian box and earn a 23rd-minute lead for Norway.Italy's lack of a recognisable poacher in front of goal shined through as the rising shot count piled in favour of the home outfit, as noted by OptaPaolo, but Conte's men trailed at the break:The script wasn't altered after the restart, and Norway were helpless but to settle with the minority of possession. But such a strategy was always going to gift the Azzurri territory.And that pressure finally paid off when a deflected ball in the box found its way through to Florenzi at the far post, sending Norway's hopes of qualification plummeting.Hogmo's side could still have advanced as long as Croatia didn't beat Malta, but even those slim hopes crumbled after a slip-up from left-back Haitam Aleesami gave Pelle the opportunity to blast home the winner. TheMirror's Alex Richards took note of the advantage in stamina Italy boasted:Although the result didn't matter much to Italy in terms of qualifying for Euro 2016, Italy can still be content with having made it 49 consecutive qualification matches without suffering defeat.That being said, Conte will be concerned with the lack of finishing nous shown by his forwards, while Norway are left to regret their errors in defence as they prepare for the playoffs.Post-Match ReactionIt was a case of "so close and yet so far" for Norway on Tuesday, as their slim hopes of gaining automatic Euro 2016 qualification collapsed under the might of an Italian charge in the final 20 minutes.And Azzurri coach Conte couldn't help but feel for his side's victims as they made their way to the playoffs, speaking to Rai Sport (h/t Football Italia):We have to compliment our opponents, as Norway are a strong side and Im sorry they went into the play-offs. This is football. We played the way we had to, trying to give a sense of consistency. We didnt deserve to be a goal down, this is the right path and I want this intensity and grit. We can lose or win, but the important thing is this attitude.The Rome hosts welcomed a bout of pressure after opening the fixture in a 3-5-2, but Conte's shift to a 4-2-4 setup around the halfway mark yielded positive results, with the manager admitting:Yes, lets say we were interpreting the game well before that and only unlucky to be behind. We played three days ago, I had only three wingers and wed used up a lot of energy.The plan was always to go 4-2-4 later in the match. This versatility has to be one of our greatest strengths.Content though Conte was with the result, the helmsman did have one passing criticism on Tuesday, hinting at the flawed nature of UEFA's coefficient system due to Italy's failure to make the top-seeded Pot 1."We finished the group with 24 points, so I repeat that its difficult to explain why we are not seeds. Weve lost only one game throughout the year."Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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