After ending Group C with full points, the Under 17 national team is ready to compete in the quarter-finals of the European Championship, scheduled for Thursday 30 May (19:30 CEST) at the Paralimni Municipal Stadium Tasos Markou, where they will face England, who finished runners-up in Group D thanks to the 3-1 win over Spain last night (Mheuka, Moore and Nwaneri on the scoresheet for the English).

The two teams have on 18 previous occasions at this age group level: five wins, four draws and nine defeats for the Azzurrini. The first ever friendly match dates back to 14 June 2001: the lads of then coaj Paolo Berrettini - among whom Cesare Bovo, Giorgio Chiellini, Marco Donadel and Pasquale Foggia stood out - won 4-1 in Tivoli thanks to goals from Antonio Floro Flores (brace), Biagio Pagano and Simone Pepe. The first time in a final phase of the European Championship, however, was a 0-0 draw on matchday 2 of Group B (also made up of Israel and Spain) on 9 May 2003.

To find a victory for Italy against England in the European Championship, we have to go back to 2005: the team led at the time by Antonio Rocca, who ended the tournament in 3rd place, won 1-0 in Cascina (PI) thanks to Andrea Russotto's 35th minute penalty (currently playing for Siracusa in Serie D and at the time an attacking midfielder for Cisco Lodigiani in C2). The Azzurrini's record in the tournament, also considering the qualifying rounds and the elite phases, reads: one win, two draws and three defeats.

UEFA European Under-17 Championship

Group Phase

Group A: Cyprus, Ukraine, Serbia, and Czechia.
Group B: Denmark, Austria, Croatia, and Wales.
Group C: ITALY, Sweden, Slovakia, and Poland.
Group D: France, Portugal, Spain, and England.

Group C Schedule

Matchday 1 (Tuesday 21 May)
Slovakia 0-0 Sweden
ITALY 2-0 Poland

Matchday 2 (Friday 24 May)
ITALY 2-0 Slovakia
Sweden 2-2 Poland

Matchday 3 (Monday 27 May)
Sweden 1-2 ITALY
Poland 4-0 Slovakia

Table: ITALY 9pts, Poland 4, Sweden 2, Slovakia 1.

Knockout stages

Quarter-finals

Wednesday 29 May

Q1) 17:30 local time (16.30 CEST): Czechia vs. Denmark, Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium in Larnaca
Q2) 20:00 local time (19:00 CEST): Austria vs. Serbia, AEK Arena in Larnaca

Thursday 30 May

Q3) 20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): ITALY vs. Group D runner-up, AEK Arena in Larnaca
Q4) 18:00 local time (17:00 CEST): Group D winner vs. Group C runner-up, Antōnīs Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca

Semi-finals (Sunday 2 June)

S1) 18:00 local time (17:00 CEST): Q1 winner vs. Q3 winner, AEK Arena in Larnaca
S2) 20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): Q2 winner vs. Q4 winner, Antōnīs Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca

Final (Wednesday 5 June)

20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): S1 winner vs. S2 winner, Limassol Stadium in Limassol