The Under-20 National Team got their World Cup campaign off to a great start in Gdynia as they emerged 2-1 winners against Mexico. It was a match dominated by the Azzurrini, who managed to take a small step towards qualifying for the last 16.

Italy are taking part in the Under-20 World Cup finals for the seventh time thanks to their second-place finish last year in the Under-19 European Championship played in Finland. The last time they were involved was two years ago, when Alberico Evani’s side came third in South Korea.

For the match against Mexico, Head Coach Nicolato went with a 3-5-2 formation: Pinamonti and Scamacca were selected up front, while behind them there was a midfield trio of Pellegrini, Frattesi and Esposito with Tripaldelli and Bellanova on the wings. Gabbia, Del Prato and Ranieri lined up in defence in front of goalkeeper Plizzari.

The Azzurrini took to the pitch and came straight out of the blocks. Not even 180 seconds had passed when Frattesi broke through the middle and found the corner of the net after Scamacca’s neat touch. It was a lightning-quick start for Italy, who weren’t content to just sit on their lead and almost scored a second through both Pinamonti and then Scamacca.

The only thing that Nicolato’s side could be faulted for was not taking their chances, and they would go on to be punished in the 38th minute as they switched off for the first time and allowed De La Rosa to head home for Mexico following a corner. The Azzurrini looked to hit back immediately, with Higuera being forced to save Scamacca’s acrobatic effort a minute later. After the restart, the Mexican goalkeeper once again denied Italy, this time keeping out Pellegrini, who had looked to convert with his left foot.

Mexico tried to respond through individual actions, with Macias in particular looking threatening. After 66th minutes, however, Nicolato’s side hit back: first Gabbia rattled the bar before Ranieri got the Azzurrini’s second of the game as he controlled Pellegrini’s miscued shot and slotted the ball into the back of the net – the reward for Italy’s continued efforts. As the match was drawing to a close, the Azzurrini were able to keep Mexico at bay without too many problems and close out the match.

Italy’s World Cup campaign has thus begun with a win. On Sunday in Bydgoszcz, they’ll face an Ecuador side who emerged victorious in the 2019 South American Under-20 Championship earlier this year. But the win against Mexico should provide the Azzurrini with a great confidence boost ahead of their upcoming matches, as Paolo Nicolato underlined after the final whistle: “I’m extremely satisfied. To be honest, the guys performed beyond every expectation. I’m really proud of them, they know how to honour the Azzurri shirt.”

World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Alessandro Plizzari (Milan), Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Leonardo Loria (Juventus);

Defenders: Luca Pellegrini (Cagliari), Alessandro Buongiorno (Carpi), Alessandro Tripaldelli (Crotone), Luca Ranieri (Foggia), Matteo Gabbia (Lucchese), Raoul Bellanova (Milan), Davide Bettella (Pescara), Antonio Candela (Genoa), Enrico Delprato (Atalanta);

Midfielders: Salvatore Esposito (Ravenna), Davide Frattesi (Ascoli), Domenico Roberto Alberico (Hoffenheim), Andrea Colpani (Atalanta);

Forwards: Gabriele Gori (Livorno), Marco Olivieri (Juventus), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo), Andrea Pinamonti (Frosinone), Christian Capone (Pescara).

Staff – Delegation Head: Massimo Paganin; National Teams Co-ordinator Maurizio Viscidi; Head Coach: Paolo Nicolato; Assistant Coach: Mirco Gasparetto; Secretary: Fabio Ferappi; Fitness Coach: Vincenzo Pincolini; Goalkeeping Coach: Matteo Mareggini; Match Analyst: Francesco Bordin; Doctors: Matteo Vitali and Luca Labianca; Physiotherapists: Nicola Sanna and Andrea Mangino; Nutritionist: Alessio Colli.

World Cup groups

Group A: Poland, Colombia, Tahiti, Senegal
Group B: Mexico, ITALY, Japan, Ecuador
Group C: Honduras, New Zealand, Uruguay, Norway
Group D: Qatar, Nigeria, Ukraine, United States of America
Group E: Panama, Mali, France, Saudi Arabia
Group F: Portugal, South Korea, Argentina, South Africa

Group B fixtures and results (all times CEST)

Matchday One (23 May)

18:00: ITALY 2-1 Mexico
20:30: Japan 1-1 Ecuador

Matchday Two (26 May)

15:30: Mexico vs. Japan (Gdynia)
18:00: Ecuador vs. ITALY (Bydgoszcz)

Matchday Three (29 May)

18:00: Ecuador vs. Mexico (Gdynia)
18:00: ITALY vs. Japan (Bydgoszcz)

N.B. The top two from each group plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the last 16