A fantastic effort from the Under-17 National Team, who, in front of 1619 spectators at the AEK Arena in Larnaca, beat England on penalties to progress to the European Championship semi-finals for the first time since 2019. On Sunday 2 June (19:30 CEST kick-off), the Azzurrini will take on Denmark at the Antōnīs Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca for a place in the final. After falling behind following Nwaneri’s 16th-minute opener, Italy equalised after 29 minutes thanks to a bit of magic by Liberali. Then, in the penalty shootout, the hugely impressive Longoni saved Harrison’s penalty before Camarda converted the decisive spot-kick.

“It was a really tough game,” said Head Coach Massimiliano Favo. On a physical level, they were stronger than us. However, we produced a big performance in the first half and managed to match them. In the second half, a bit of fatigue set in towards the end and we were grateful to our goalkeeper. In the end, tactical thinking prevailed, and we’re deservedly in the semis.”

THE MATCH. Italy, who had Garofalo back in defence after his suspension, made a good start, giving their opponents very little room to play in. However, after a right-footed effort from Moore, England took the lead: the number 11 intercepted a pass from Cama in midfield, burst forward and found Nwaneri, whose left-footed effort left Longoni with no chance in the 16th minute. The Azzurrini hit back just before the half-hour mark: Liberali, having cut in from the right, bamboozled several opponents in the box before firing past Whatmuff with his left foot. Galvanised by the goal, Favo’s side continued to push and, after Mosconi had shot narrowly over, hit the post through Emanuel two minutes before the break.

In the second half, after a fantastic save from Longoni to thwart Mheuka, Coletta had a go with a header, but it lacked conviction. England started to apply some pressure, with Nwaneri hitting the post with a free-kick on the 65-minute mark. At the other end, Cama shot just off target with his left foot. During the closing stages, Longoni foiled Rigg and Moore with two brilliant stops, and the latter then hit the post from close range. In stoppage time, the same England player was denied by Ballo’s goal-line clearance. In the end, the encounter was decided by a penalty shootout, during which the Azzurrini converted all of their spot-kicks and Harrison failed to beat Longoni.

ITALIA-INGHILTERRA 1-1, 6-5 dtr (1-1 pt)

ITALY 1-1 ENGLAND (5-4 ON PENS)

Italy: Longoni; Emanuel (74' Ballo), Cama (83' Lauricella), Garofalo, Coletta, Di Nunzio (66' Mantini), Camarda, Liberali, Mosconi © (74' Orlandi), Sala (74' Lontani), Natali. Subs: Pessina (P), Verde, Nardin, Campaniello. Head Coach: Massimiliano Favo.

England: Whatmuff; Shahar, McFarlane, Mfuni, Fletcher J. (46' Harrison), Rigg © (83' Amass), Mheuka (59' Dipepa), Nwaneri, Moore, Amissah, Mukasa (59' Olusesi). Subs: Brits (P), Noble, Dixon, Fletcher L., Dunbar-McDonald. Head Coach: Greg Lincoln.

Goals: 16' Nwaneri (En), 29' Liberali (It).
Penalties: Moore (En) goal, Lauricella (It) goal, Harrison (En) saved, Natali (I) goal, Amass (En) goal, Orlandi (It) goal, Nwaneri (En) goal, Liberali (It) goal, Dipepa (En) goal, Camarda (It) goal.

Referee: Nenad Minaković (SRB). Assistants: Nikola Borović (SRB) and Luka Pušić (CRO). Fourth official: Ante Čulina (CRO).

Note:  Fletcher J. (En), Sala (It), Natali (It) and Mfuni (En) booked.

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) 18:00 local time (17:00 CEST): Denmark vs. Q3 winner, AEK Arena in Larnaca
S2) 20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): Serbia vs. Q4 winner, Antōnīs Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca

Final (Wednesday 5 June)

20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): S1 winner vs. S2 winner, Limassol Stadium in Limassol