Baby-faced, with feline reflexes and an unwaivering daring spirit, Alessandro Longoni embodies a mix as peculiar as it is fascinating, with a past on minimotos and a present between the posts for AC Milan and the Italy Under 17's. "My grandmother Franca," confesses the Italian number 12, "gave me a small two-wheeler, and for a few years, I raced on the track, placing second in a couple of races before my mother, worried that I might get hurt, 'forced' me to play football. Specifically, as a goalkeeper. She thought it was a role less prone to clashes." Clashes which, during yesterday's quarter-final match against England, were not lacking ("they're part of the game"). Just as his saves were not lacking, crucial to allowing Massimiliano Favo's boys to secure a place in the semi-finals, where on Sunday, 2 June at the Antōnīs Papadopoulos Stadium, Larnaca, they will face Denmark (at 19:30 CEST).

"At the beginning of the season," confessed the 2008-born goalkeeper, "I would have never imagined being here, underage, playing in a European Championship finals. In January, when I received my first call-up (for the double friendly in Los Barrios against Spain, editor's note), I was pleasantly surprised, and from that moment on, I started to think that maybe I could have a small chance." A chance that, judging by his latest performance, he is making the most of. "Against England," he admitted, "I just focused on staying calm and doing the simple things, hoping that the rest would take care of itself. Last night, I must be honest, I was also a bit lucky." Luck, proverbially, favours the bold, just like him. "I'm not afraid to say that we are a strong team," Longoni emphasises, "very united. In the semifinals, we can make our mark, as we have always done until now."

Born on 31 January 2008, in Como to father Luigi and mother Corina, he began playing football at the age of 9, after a stint in motocross, at AC Milan, his first and so far only club. During the season, he made 24 appearances and notched up 9 clean sheets (a record in group B), underage, as the goalkeeper for Giovanni Renna's Under 17 team, confirming himself as one of the strongest goalkeepers in Italy. In Cyprus, he is on the way to proving himself to be one of the strongest in Europe as well.

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. ITALY, AEK Arena in Larnaca
S2) 20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): Serbia vs. Portugal, 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