Italy's Under 17 team, led by Massimiliano Favo, debuts in the Elite Phase of the European Championship with a stunning 2-0 victory over the Netherlands, taking a significant step towards qualification. These three points are crucial for the Azzurrini, who, by defeating Belgium on Saturday, could secure the top spot in the group and a ticket to the final phase of the continental tournament scheduled for 20 May in Cyprus (in addition to the 8 group winners, the 7 best runners-up also qualify).

At the Myyrmäki Stadium in Vantaa, a town located about fifteen kilometers from Helsinki, the remake of the 2018 and 2019 European Championship finals, both won by the Oranje, takes place. But this time it's Italy celebrating, taking the lead in the first half thanks to a penalty earned by Francesco Camarda and converted by Alessandro Ciardi (Salzburg), and sealing the match in stoppage time with Mattia Liberali (Milan).

"We had numerous opportunities - analyzes Favo - and if I have to find a flaw in this team, it's that we score few goals compared to what we produce. Otherwise, in terms of intensity and quality of play, I can't fault the boys. We recovered the ball high, always controlled the game, and followed the guidelines of the youth national teams coordinator Maurizio Viscidi. This team has grown since the first qualifying phase when we struggled against opponents who closed themselves off in their own half. Now we need to regain physical and mental energy ahead of Saturday's match. We have one goal, to go to Cyprus: the boys deserve it and so does Club Italia."

MATCH SUMMARY. For the debut in the Elite Phase, Favo relied on a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Alessandro Ciardi acting behind the offensive duo formed by the Milan players Camarda and Liberali. After the minute of silence requested by the FIGC to honor the memory of Fiorentina's general manager Joe Barone, Italy starts strong, pressing the Dutch high. In the 3’, Camarda breaks away on the counter-attack and shoots wide from a tight angle. Five minutes later, Van Den Berg responds, testing Longoni with a low left-footed shot. It's still the Azzurrini who pose a threat with the shots from Camarda and Liberali, and at the 28’, the deserved lead arrives, thanks to a serious mistake by Bouwman: the Dutch defender stumbles, allowing Camarda to steal the ball and then collide with the Dutch number nine. A deserved penalty, which Ciardi converts by finding the bottom corner. Italy continues to attack and nearly doubles their lead twice, hitting the woodwork late in the first half with De Sant'Ana Balbinot and Liberali.

Despite the lead, Favo's team continues to press even in the second half, raising the intensity and hindering the Netherlands' build-up play. Liberali comes close to scoring twice, then El Hani saves Camarda's shot. Italy wins all the midfield duels, also showing enviable physical condition. The first threat from the Dutch arrived only in the 71’ with Koller, who shoots wide. Camarda and Cama miss chances to double the lead, and only in the eighth minute of stoppage time does Liberali seal the match, collecting Lauricella's cross on an action initiated by the usual Camarda. On Saturday (12:00 CET, live streaming on the FIGC website), the Myyrmäki Stadium in Vantaa will host the Azzurrini's second match against Belgium, who defeated Finland 1-0 in the other match of the day.

NETHERLANDS 0-2 ITALY (HT 0-1)

Netherlands: El Hani, Oldenstam, Bouwman (64’ Reuter), Van De Lans, Jetten, Khaderi (46’ De Gusman), Gurbuz (64’ Verhulst), Van Den Berg, Bouhoudane (89’ Kluivert), Koller, Thomas (79’ Unuvar). Unused subs: Van Der Velde, Bresser, Manuhutu, El Harmouz. Coach: Palland.

Italy: Longoni, Garofalo, Natali, Cama (96’ Lauricella), Sant’Ana Balbinot (73’ Cappelletti), Mantini (73’ Sala), Coletta, Di Nunzio (82’ Nardin), Ciardi (73’ Atzeni), Camarda, Liberali. Unused subs: Pessina, Verde, Campaniello. Coach: Favo.

Scorers: 28’ pen. Ciardi (I), 90+8’ Liberali (I)

Referees: Ilic (SRB). Assistants: Djorovic (SRB) and Kemppinen (FIN). Fourth official: Manninen (FIN).

Notes: Booked - Liberali (I), Bouwman (Netherlands), Ciardi (I), Mantini (I), Atzeni (I)

Schedule, results, and standings of Group 3 in the Elite Phase

First Matchday (Wednesday, 20 March)

Netherlands 0-2 ITALY

Finland 0-1 Belgium

Standings: ITALY and Belgium 3 points, Finland and Netherlands 0

Second Matchday (Saturday, 23 March)

Belgium v ITALY (12:00 CET, Myyrmäki Stadium, Vantaa)*

Netherlands v Finland (17:30 CET, Myyrmäki Stadium, Vantaa)

Third Matchday (Tuesday, 26 March)

Netherlands v Belgium (12:00 CET Mustapekka Areena, Helsinki)

ITALY v Finland (12:00 CET, Myyrmäki Stadium, Vantaa)*

*streaming directly on the FIGC website