Italy beat Switzerland on penalties
31 October 2024
The Azzurrini draw 1-1 with France and finish second in the Val de Marne tournament
Scarpa: "A positive experience"Saturday, November 2, 2024
The Under-16 national team finished in second place with 6 points in the 25th edition of the International 'Val de Marne' tournament, drawing 1-1 against the hosts, France, in the final match held at the 'Léo Lagrange' Sports Centre in Bonneuil-sur-Marne. The Azzurrini, led by Marco Scarpa, took the lead in the 25th minute thanks to Parma's Guinean defender, Djibril Diallo, before being equalised in the 67th minute by the Bleus, with a goal from Troyes forward Christ Batola.
"We had a fantastic first half," emphasised the Azzurri coach, "as we managed to dominate both possession and goal-scoring opportunities against an opponent of France's calibre. I was disappointed with the result because we were just 20 minutes away from winning the tournament, but the overall assessment of this experience remained positive: I got the responses I wanted from the players, even though we still needed to grow and mature in several aspects".
In the other match, held in Bonneuil-sur-Marne a few hours earlier, Switzerland lost 3-1 to Japan. The Swiss took the lead in the 22nd minute with a goal from Basel forward Nathaniel Shedrach Ogbodu, before succumbing to a comeback from the Japanese, which included a brace from Kashima Antlers striker Eito Takaki, who scored in the 33rd and 82nd minutes, and a goal from Cerezo Osaka defender Chimezie Kai Ezemuokwe in the 84th minute.
25th International U16 Val de Marne Tournament
Single Group: France, ITALY, Japan, and Switzerland
Matchday 1 (Tuesday, 29 October)
Japan 0-1 ITALY
France 5-1 Switzerland
Matchday 2 (Thursday, 31 October)
Switzerland 2-2 ITALY (6-7 on penalties)
France 3-2 Japan
Matchday 3 (Saturday, 2 November)
Japan 3-1 Switzerland
France 1-1 ITALY
Standings:
France 7, ITALY 6, Japan 3, Switzerland 1.
