In the aftermath of their heartbreaking elimination at the group stage of the European Championships, Bernardo Corradi's National Under 17s team received football books as a gift from delegation leader Filippo Corti on behalf of AIC president and FIGC vice-president Umberto Calcagno and AIC general manager Gianni Grazioli.

"I think that in an increasingly virtual everyday life such as the one our youngsters are experiencing, the value of the stories described in the books is even more significant," said the Azzurri head of delegation. "These are books that recount experiences of football and sport: I believe that stimulating curiosity, the desire to learn and deepen, the desire to know, is one of the educational tasks that should belong most to sports managers who represent the institutions and accompany the growth path of these youngsters. I thank the AIC for the initiative and the team for having welcomed it."

"There is a bit of bitterness for the way the adventure went," he continued. "Arriving once again at the final stages of this competition, however, is a source of pride for Club Italia. The fact the boys didn't get through to the quarter-finals must not make us forget the progress made so far and the splendid performance with which the boys finished the European Championship. A performance full of commitment and pride. Learning to honour the shirt with the right attitude before the result is a message that coach Corradi and all the staff were able to transfer to the team and is certainly the starting point for the new season. Sport teaches us that opportunities to grow and mature come above all through difficult moments, and I am certain that the footballing future of these boys will also be stimulated by what they have learned from this tournament."

The Azzurrini will return from Hungary today.

The Squad

Goalkeepers: Tommaso Martinelli (Fiorentina), Diego Mascardi (Spezia);
Defenders: Alessandro Bassino (Juventus), Matteo Cocchi (Inter), Vittorio Magni (Milan), Filippo Pagnucco (Juventus), Gabriel Ramaj (Atalanta), Edoardo Sadotti (Fiorentina), Giorgio Vezzosi (Sassuolo);
Midfielders: Francesco Crapisto (Juventus), Giacomo De Pieri (Inter), Mattia Mannini (Roma), Leonardo Mendicino (Atalanta), Lorenzo Riccio (Atalanta), Marco Romano (Genoa);
Attackers: Seydou Fini (Genoa), Mattia Liberali (AC Milan), Federico Ragnoli Galli (Atalanta), Emanuele Rao (Spal), Tommaso Ravaglioli (Bologna).

Coach: Bernardo Corradi

Schedule

Group B standings: Spain 7, Serbia 4, ITALY 3, Slovenia 3.

Matchday 1 (Thursday 18 May)
Serbia 2-4 Slovenia
ITALY 1-2 Spain

Matchday 2 (Sunday 21 May)
Spain 3-1 Slovenia
Serbia 2-0 ITALY

Matchday 3 (Wednesday 24 May)
Spain 1-1 Serbia (17:00 CEST, BSC Stadium in Budaörs)
Slovenia 0-3 ITALY (17:00 CEST, Telki Training Centre in Telki)

Quarter finals (Saturday 27 May)

Under-17 World Cup tiebreaker (Tuesday 30 May)

Semi-finals (Tuesday 30 May)

Finals (Friday 2 June)