Bollini: ‘The boys were exemplary’ in 1-0 win over Greece
19 November 2024
Italy's Dramatic Defeat: At the Stadio Mazzola, the match ends 4-3 in favour of Wales. Bollini: "We were punished by individual errors"
The Azzurrini, after trailing 1-0 at halftime, took a 3-2 lead with goals from Liberali, Pagnucco, and Cassa, before a late Wales come-backSunday, October 13, 2024
A dramatic 4-3 defeat for the Under-19 National Team against Wales occurred in the second and final friendly, following the 3-3 draw played three days earlier in Ravenna.
At the Valentino Mazzola in Santarcangelo di Romagna, the Azzurrini fell behind 1-0 after a goal from Coventry City midfielder Kai Andrews in the 39th minute. They equalised shortly after half-time in the 48th minute through AC Milan's Mattia Liberali, born in 2007. However, the Welsh regained the lead in the 52nd minute with a penalty converted by Manchester United forward Gabriele Biancheri, following a foul by Roma goalkeeper Renato Bellucci Marin. The response from Bollini's team was swift, with Juventus player Filippo Pagnucco scoring in the 55th minute and Atalanta's Federico Cassa adding another in the 57th minute to turn the match around. Just when it seemed Italy had control, a mistake in the build-up from Andrea Natali (Bayer Leverkusen) allowed Barnsley's Vimal Yoganathan to equalise in the 84th minute. The final blow came in the 91st minute when Norwich's Elliot Josh Myles scored a penalty for the 4-3 finish, awarded for a handball by Leonardo Mendicino (Cesena).
"It was an undeserved defeat", said coach Alberto Bollini. "The team delivered an excellent performance, creating numerous scoring opportunities, but they were punished more than necessary due to some individual errors. My goal is to help each player grow within the group, which is why I told the boys to learn from these mistakes to improve. The training camp was excellent in terms of the work done and the behaviour of the players. In the matches, despite the many absences we faced (Vittorio Magni, Mattia Mannini, Mattia Mosconi, Federico Nardin, Lorenzo Riccio, Marco Romano, and Diego Sia), we achieved much less than we deserved given our effort and the amount of play produced".
