"I hope the boys win.” During the pre-match press conference before the senior team’s friendly against Türkiye, Nicolò Fagioli wanted to send his best wishes to Massimiliano Favo’s U17s, who will face Portugal in the European Championship final at the Limassol Stadium tomorrow evening (19:30 CEST kick-off). It’s the fourth time the Azzurrini have reached this stage of the competition after previously falling to defeat in 2013, 2018 and 2019.

“Portugal are a strong side,” said Massimiliano Favo ahead of the match. “They are strong technically and have excellent players, but, just like in all finals, we have a 50% chance of winning. We have the chance to win Italy’s first trophy in this age group, and we’ll do everything we can to do so.” Captain Mattia Mosconi also gave his thoughts: “The day before a final is a bit of a strange day,” he said. “We can’t wait to play and are ready to give everything for the shirt. Portugal are a good side and have excellent players in attack, especially on the flanks. They also have quality in midfield and are tactically well organised at the back.”

2013. Daniele Zoratto’s Azzurrini finished second in Group B, which also contained Russia, Croatia and Ukraine, after scoring one more goal than the Croatians (three compared to two). They then faced Slovakia in the semi-finals, running out 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Pugliese and Capradossi. In the final, which took place in Žilina on 17 May, Italy lost 5-4 on penalties to Russia.

2018. Under Carmine Nunziata, Italy topped a group that included hosts England, Switzerland and Israel due to their superior goal difference. The Azzurrini then beat Sweden 1-0 in the last eight (Vergani) and Belgium 2-1 in the semi-finals (Gyabuaa and Vergani). In the final, which was played in Rotherham on 20 May, they drew 2-2 with the Netherlands (Ricci and Riccardi got on the scoresheet for Italy) before losing 4-1 in the subsequent penalty shootout.

2019. With Nunziata once again leading the side, Italy finished top of Group D on maximum points after getting the better of Spain, Germany and Austria. The Azzurrini then ran out 1-0 winners over Portugal (Tongya) and came from behind to defeat France 2-1 in the semis (Sebastiano Esposito and Udogie). In Dublin on 19 May, Italy suffered a 4-2 loss to the Netherlands in the final (a Colombo brace for the Azzurrini).

PREVIOUS ENCOUNTERS WITH PORTUGAL.
The Azzurrini and the Portuguese have met twelve times at U17 level: Italy have three wins to their name compared to Portugal’s five, with four draws completing the picture. The first-ever encounter took place on 3 September 2004: back then, Antonio Rocca’s side won 2-1 in Gillingham (England) thanks to goals from Lorenzo De Silvestri (then at Lazio and now part of the Bologna squad that have just qualified for the Champions League) and Salvatore Foti (then a Venezia player and now on José Mourinho’s staff) on matchday two in the Pepsi Cup. The only previous meeting between the sides at the European Championship took place in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, on 13 May 2019. Under Carmine Nunziata, who is now in charge of the U21 team, the Azzurrini won 1-0 at Tolka Park in the quarter-finals thanks to Franco Tongya’s 26th-minute finish.

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 9 points, Poland 4, Sweden 2, Slovakia 1.

Knockout stages

Quarter-finals

Wednesday 29 May

Q1) Czechia 1-1 Denmark 1-1 (3-5 on penalties)
Q2) Austria 2-3 Serbia

Thursday 30 May

Q3) Italy 1-1 England (5-4 on penalties)
Q4) Portugal 2-1 Poland

Semi-finals (Sunday 2 June)

S1) Denmark 0-1 ITALY
S2) Serbia 2-3 Portugal

Final (Wednesday 5 June)

20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): ITALY vs. Portugal, Limassol Stadium in Limassol