A winning start on the Under-16 bench for Bernardo Corradi: on his debut as a Head Coach in the Italy setup, his side ran out deserved 4-1 winners against Switzerland.

Prior to the first match of the friendly double-header between the sides (the second game will be played on Thursday morning at 11:00 CEST) National Team Head Coach Roberto Mancini had already sent his best wishes to Corradi, the perfect source of motivation as the latter begins his new adventure.

And his side delivered, despite falling behind in the 34th minute after Alilli’s goal for the Swiss. The Azzurrini showed an immediate response, with Mancini firing past the opposition goalkeeper from inside the box.

At start of the second half, two quick-fire goals put Italy in control: first Pellegrini found the net in the 47th minute after a number of ricochets before Accornero curled one in with 51 minutes on the clock. Before the match came to a close, Turco put the game to bed after 71 minutes after converting from close range. 4-1 the final score.

On Thursday at the Stadio Comunale in Ascona, Tico, the second friendly against Switzerland will be played. The objective will be to repeat what the team did well over the course of this first game.

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Bryan Bonucci (Inter), Tommaso Bertini (Atalanta);
Defenders: Mattia Motolese (Bologna), Filippo Bedini (Lazio), Gabriele Cagia (Genoa), Matteo Pellegrini (Roma), Joseph Mustapha Abdalla (Spal), Etienne Marius Catena (Roma), Iacopo Regonesi (Atalanta), Alessandro Renzi (Empoli);
Midfielders: Riccardo Pagano (Roma), Tommaso Maressa (Juventus), Nicolò Biral (Atalanta), Giacomo Faticanti (Roma), Andrea Palella (Genoa), Cher Ndour (Atalanta), Gabriele Alesi (Milan), Federico Accornero (Genoa);
Forwards: Tommaso Mancini (Vicenza Virtus), Nicolò Turco (Juventus), Samuele Vignato (Chievo Verona), Leonardo Rossi (Milan).
Staff – Head Coach: Bernardo Corradi. Assistant Coach: Domenico Cei; Secretary: Alessandro Lulli; Fitness Coach: Luca Coppari; Goalkeeper Coach: Graziano Vinti; Doctor: Edoardo Gaj; Physiotherapist: Marco Di Salvo.