Italy beat Portugal 38-31 in the first of three test matches of the Azzurri's summer tour, which was attended by 5,100 spectators.
Only in the final did the Italrugby manage to overturn the result avoiding what would have been the second defeat in history against the Portuguese XV, 50 years after the only setback, in Coimbra.
With an unprecedented median - From King to the opening at the debut and Fusco to the first as starter - the Azzurri struggled especially in the first half to find rhythm and intensity, which instead were not lacking in the home national team, good at immediately grasping the difficulty of Crowley's team and put it in difficulty throughout the match.
At the last minute the action that gave the blues success: there is a free kick, Italy does not go for the posts but this time the maul does not lose possession, Portugal resorts to the foul to avoid the breakthrough and the Scottish referee Davidson awards the penalty try: it is 31-38.
Thus Italy manages, in extremis, to bring home a much more painful victory than expected.
Next Friday, in Bucharest against Romania, coach Crowley's second summer test march.
