Roberto Mancini credited Italy for taking "a step forward" in Saturday's 0-0 draw with Portugal but rued the team's profligacy noting "scoring goals" is what matters most.
The Azzurri were dominant for most of the match at San Siro, creating particularly good chances in the first half.
Ciro Immobile was especially culpable, firing over from close range early on and then shooting at Rui Patricio in a one-on-one situation just after the half-hour mark.
The draw allowed Portugal to confirm their progression to the Nations League semi-finals, yet Mancini could see the positives for an Italy side that played with far more purpose than when their World Cup qualification campaign came to a shock end at the hands of Sweden a year ago.