A solid start. In Siena, Italy beat Poland 1-0 in their first match in the second round of qualifying for the European Championship. The Azzurrini were always in control of the game: they were the team on top, giving their opponents very little room to manoeuvre. The hosts struck the crossbar twice in the first half and wasted a fair few opportunities. At the start of the second half, the deadlock was broken following a shot from Aaron Ciammaglichella. The bounce of the ball proved fatal for the Poles: it deflected off Zieba's shoulder, who could do nothing to avoid diverting it into his goal.

Roberto Mancini’s presence in the crowd clearly gave the whole team an extra boost: before the match, the National Team Head Coach spoke with Bernardo Corradi and greeted the players. Of course, this was a significant presence, considering the attention Mancini pays to the young players who progress through the youth ranks: “It is important to follow the boys’ progress in the national team,” said Mancini. “They are still very young at just 17 years old, but they are showing a lot of potential. We must continue to follow them and, hopefully, with time they will earn the opportunity to play at a higher level. We need to show faith in our young players, who may find it challenging at first due to their lack of experience. However, it’s essential that we continue to give them opportunities because that’s when we see some fantastic stories.”

Bernardo Corradi seemed satisfied at the end of the match: “Winning our first game was essential. The lads were very good, trying to move the ball in congested areas. This is a super result, even if we perhaps coulf have scored a few more goals. However, this is OK. We gave the ball away cheaply sometimes and made a few too many sloppy mistakes: these are 17-year-old lads who will learn their trade over time. It will now be important to recover: we have two days and then it’ll be time for our second match against Kosovo.” The fixture will be played this Saturday at 15:00 CEST in Poggibonsi (live stream available on the FIGC website).

In the other qualifying round match, Ukraine defeated their Kosovan counterparts (2-0): “It’s fantastic to see them here. Sport conjures up some wonderful stories,” Corradi continued. “The fact that they arrived, prepared and won their first game in just a few days is really impressive. We are all happy; it is only right that they have the opportunity to return to normality. These are 17-year-old lads and they should be treated like our own.”

Italy 1-0 Poland

Goalscorer(s): Zieba og. (48’)

ITALY U17 (4-3-1-2) : Magro; Serra, Chiarodia, Mane, Saiani (75' Milani); Ciammaglichella (67' Parravicini), Lipani (C), Di Maggio (75' Onofrietti); Bruno; Vacca (67' Quieto), Bolzan (84' Misitano).
Unused substitutes: Borriello (GK), Delle Monache, Malaspina. Coach. Corradi.

POLAND U17 (5-4-1) : Mikułko; Zięba (78' Szymański), Kurzydłowski, Tomaszewski (C), Magnuszewski, Lewicki; Smiglewski (58' Terlecki), Kalemba (58' Wójcik), Staniszewski (78' Rychlik), Tkacz (84' Doba); Sławiński. Unused substitutes: Murawski (GK), Drachal, Brzęk, Przybyłko. Coach. Gęsior.

Referee: Marian Alexandru Barbu (ROU); Linesmen: Ferencz Tunyogy (ROU) and Christopher Campbell (IRL); Fourth Official: Rob Hennessy (IRL)

Bookings: 45'+1 Smiglewski, 89' Bruno, 90'+2 Onofrietti

Schedule and standings

Wednesday 20 April

Italy 1-0 Poland

Kosovo 0-2 Ukraine

Standings. Ukraine, Italy 3 pts, Poland and Kosovo 0

Saturday 23 April

Ukraine vs. Poland at the Stadio Comunale Gino Manni in Colle di Val D’Elsa, 12:00 CEST

Italy vs. Kosovo at the Stadio Comunale Stefano Lotti in Poggibonsi, 15:00 CEST (direct stream available on the FIGC website)

Tuesday 26 April

Ukaine vs. Italy, Stadio Artemio Franchi in Siena, 15:00 CEST 

Poland vs. Kosovo, Stadio Comunale Gino Manni in Colle di Val D’Elsa, 15:00 CEST