After beating Romania in their European Championship opener yesterday evening, the Azzurrini returned to training with a smile on their faces this morning. It was a deserved victory for our U21s, who emerged victorious thanks to Tommaso Baldanzi’s goal and Sebastiano Desplanches’ penalty save and sit level with Spain at the top of the group. 

“The opening match is crucial for building early momentum,” said Daniele Ghilardi in an exclusive interview with the FIGC website and Vivo Azzurro TV. “We wanted to win and did it so. We didn’t concede and could’ve scored more. We were a bit unlucky, hitting the post twice, but no complaints.” A starter in yesterday’s game and always spot-on with his marking, he also made his presence felt in attack by initiating the move that led to Baldanzi’s winning goal: “Honestly, it wasn’t something we’d planned, because we usually try to play through the middle,” admitted the 22-year-old. However, they had men behind the ball, and we needed to use the full width of the pitch. I saw Ruggeri in space, passed it to him, and it worked out.”

While Italy had to dig deep to secure all three points, Spain required a very late goal to beat Slovakia 3-2 in the other fixture in Group A. There are no easy matches, and nothing should be taken for granted, even if Italy could seal their spot in the knockouts on Saturday. Indeed, if the Azzurrini beat Slovakia and Romania fail to get the better of Spain, Nunziata’s side would book their place in the quarter-finals with a game to spare, leaving them to fight for top spot in their final match against Spain.

“It won’t be an easy match, especially since, as we saw yesterday, all the teams here are strong and well-organised,” continued Ghilardi. Daniele will have some special supporters cheering him on in the stands, from his girlfriend, Martina, to his mum, Manuela, and dad, Mauro.

A CHALLENGE WITHIN THE CHALLENGE. Speaking of the stands, the Anton Malatinský Stadium will be sold out and ready to support the hosts, for whom Tomas Suslov will undoubtedly provide a big threat. The Slovak midfielder, who scored from the penalty spot against Spain, has earned over 40 caps with Slovakia’s senior side and, together with Cagliari’s Obert, is one of two Serie A players at Jaroslav Kentos’ disposal. Suslov recently celebrated Verona’s survival alongside Diego Coppola and Ghilardi himself: “

 “We haven’t spoken yet, but we definitely will before kick-off. We have a good relationship, and, at the end of the season, we said it’d be great to play against each other. Slovakia have several good players, and I think Tomas is by far the best – he’s a technical player and very good in one-on-one situations. I’ll give my teammates some advice on how to stop him.” One person who won’t need advice is Diego Coppola, fresh off his senior national team debut: “He told me he felt great. After, all it’s the dream every kid has when they start playing football. We’re good friends, and he deserved this call-up. I’m happy for him.”

PLAYING TO GROW. With 24 appearances in Serie A, he’s one of the Azzurrini who had the most game time last season. At this age, consistent playing time is essential for growth:
“At the start, I didn’t play much, but little by little I got more minutes under my belt. I’ve gained a lot of confidence and experience.”

gained a lot of confidence and experience.”

FROM THE WORLD CUP TO THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP. Two years ago, under Carmine Nunziata, he reached the final of the U20 World Cup – a thrilling run he hopes to replicate here in Slovakia, but this time with a different ending: “In Argentina, there were eleven other players from this current group. We’re a strong team, and the fact that we’ve played together for so many years really helps. We’ve also been working with the coach since we played under him for the U17s; we have a great relationship and know his ideas inside out. Losing in the World Cup final gives us extra motivation. We’ll do everything we can to win these Euros. It would be an incredible feeling.”

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: 1 Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), 22 Jacopo Sassi (Crotone), 12 Gioele Zacchi (Latina);

Defenders: 15 Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona), 6 Daniele Ghilardi (Hellas Verona), 19 Gabriele Guarino (Carrarese), 13 Michael Kayode (Brentford), 5 Lorenzo Pirola (Olympiacos), 3 Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), 16 Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), 2 Mattia Zanotti (Lugano);

Midfielders: 23 Alessandro Bianco (Monza), 8 Cesare Casadei (Torino), 18 Issa Doumbia (Venezia), 14 Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), 21 Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), 7 Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), 20 Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), 4 Matteo Prati (Cagliari);

Forwards: 9 Giuseppe Ambrosino (Frosinone), 11 Tommaso Baldanzi (Roma), 10 Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United), 17 Luca Koleosho (Burnley).

Staff – Head Coach: Carmine Nunziata; Delegation Head: Giancarlo Antognoni; Coordinator of Men’s National Youth Teams: Maurizio Viscidi; Team Manager: Gianfranco Serioli; Assistant Coaches: Matteo Brighi and Christian Maggio; Fitness Coaches: Vito Azzone and Luca Coppari; Goalkeeping Coaches: Fabrizio Ferron; Match Analyst: Gianluca Mazziotti; Doctors: Daniele Mazza and Vincenzo Santoriello; Nutritionist. Maria Luisa Cravana; Physiotherapists: Tommaso Cannata, Giuliano Gepponi and Nicola Sanna; Secretary: Manfredi Martino.

*CALENDAR, RESULTS AND STANDINGS, GROUP A

MATCHDAY 1 (11 JUNE)

Slovakia 2-3 Spain
Italy 1-0 Romania

Standings: Spain and Italy 3 points, Slovakia and Romania 0

MATCHDAY 2 (14 JUNE)

18:00 CEST – Spain vs.Romania (Bratislava)
21:00 CEST – Slovakia vs. Italy (Trnava)

MATCHDAY 3 (17 JUNE)

21:00 CEST – Spain vs. Italy (Trnava)
21:00 CEST – Romania vs. Slovakia (Bratislava)

*The top two teams from each group progress to the quarter-finals