The Italy U19s ended the international friendly tournament with a 2-2 draw against Croatia in Čakovec. The Azzurrini, after going ahead in the 51st minute through a penalty converted by Mattia Mannini, conceded twice for Croatia to make a comeback through Marko Zebić and Filip Živković, in the 53rd and 58th minutes respectively. Italy went down to ten men in the 57th minute as Roma goalkeeper, Renato Bellucci Marin, was sent off. Maat Daniel Caprini scored in the 60th minute to secure the draw.

Alberto Bollini: “It was a proper game, especially in terms of temperament. Croatia gave us trouble in terms of pace and dribbling, but we were compact in defence and didn’t give away huge chances in the first half. However, we went out for the second 45 wanting to dominate the game and even when we went down to ten men, we reacted by levelling things up. This has been a very formative experience and we have been able to give all the lads some minutes. It was an important step on the road to Euros qualification (tournament in Greece from 13 to 19 November)”.

Squad List

Goalkeepers: Renato Bellucci Marin (Roma), Tommaso Martinelli (Fiorentina);
Defenders: Adam Bakoune (Milan), Niccolò Fortini (Fiorentina), Vittorio Magni (Milan), Federico Nardin (Roma), Filippo Pagnucco (Juventus), Matteo Giuseppe Plaia (Perugia), Filippo Reale (Roma)*, Lorenzo Tosto (Empoli);
Midfielders: Mattia Liberali (Milan), Mattia Mannini (Roma), Leonardo Mendicino (Atalanta), Lorenzo Riccio (Atalanta), Marco Romano (Genoa), Emanuele Sala (Milan);
Forwards: Maat Daniel Caprini (Fiorentina), Alphadjo Cisse (Hellas Verona)**, Jeff Ekhator Osayuki (Genoa), Seydou Fini (Excelsior Rotterdam), Mattia Mosconi (Inter), Diego Sia (Milan).

*called up on 1 September to replace the unavailable Francesco Camarda (Milan).
**called up on 2 September to replace the unavailable Gabriel Ramaj (Atalanta).

Staff – Head Coach: Alberto Bollini; Assistant Coach: Matteo Barella; Goalkeeping Coach: Francesco Antonioli; Fitness Coach: Nicolò Varesco; Match Analyst: Luca Dalmasso; Doctors: Francesco Maria Nifosì and Gianluca Ciolli; Nutritionist: Alessio Colli; Physiotherapists: Giuseppe Galli and Simone Siciliano; Secretary: Aldo Blessich.

Under-19 international friendly tournament

Teams: Croatia, Germany, England and ITALY

Matchday 1 (Wednesday 4 September)
England 2-2 Italy

Matchday 2 (Saturday 7 September)
ITALY 2-1 Germany
Croatia 1-1 England

Matchday 3 (Tuesday 10 September)
Croatia 1-1 ITALY
16:30 CEST – Germany vs. England, Koprivnica Stadium in Koprivnica

 

 

Table: ITALY 5 points, England and Croatia 2, and Germany 0.