International friendlies end with a 2-2 draw against Croatia
10 September 2024
The Azzurrini draw 2-2 with England
Italy surrender two-goal lead after Fini and Sia got on the scoresheetWednesday, September 4, 2024
The Under-19 National Team’s journey in Croatia began with a 2-2 draw against England on the opening day of the international friendly tournament, which took place from 1 to 10 September. The Azzurrini took the lead in the third minute with a goal from Seydou Fini of Excelsior Rotterdam, before Diego Sia of AC Milan extended their advantage at 39'. However, England reduced the deficit at 44' with a goal from Ethan Wheatley of Manchester United. In the second half, Tommaso Martinelli of Fiorentina saved a penalty at 55' from Arsenal’s talented 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri Despite this, Will Antwi’s squad equalised at 86' with a goal from Ayden Heaven, another Arsenal player, resulting in a 2-2 draw.
"It was a high-level match", emphasised coach Alberto Bollini, "against an England team that embodies all the characteristics of modern football: dribbling, technique, and speed. We can be satisfied with the result, considering we had several new players compared to the previous camp, and many had only just come off a training session. In the first half, in addition to the two goals, we also hit the crossbar. However, the goal conceded just before halftime gave our opponents confidence, and they performed better than us in the second half. These matches are valuable because they provide significant learning experiences for the players".
Italy will return to the field on Saturday, 7 September (15:00 CEST) at Podravina Stadium in Ludbreg against the German U19 team: "Our goal," he continued, "is to help the players grow through formative experiences like these. In the next match, we will give minutes to those who had less playtime today".
List of Call-ups
Goalkeepers: Renato Bellucci Marin (Roma), Tommaso Martinelli (Fiorentina)
Defenders: Adam Bakoune (AC Milan), Niccolò Fortini (Fiorentina), Vittorio Magni (AC Milan), Federico Nardin (Roma), Filippo Pagnucco (Juventus), Matteo Giuseppe Plaia (Perugia), Filippo Reale (Roma)*, Lorenzo Tosto (Empoli)
Midfielders: Mattia Liberali (AC Milan), Mattia Mannini (Roma), Leonardo Mendicino (Atalanta), Lorenzo Riccio (Atalanta), Marco Romano (Genoa), Emanuele Sala (AC Milan)
Forwards: Maat Daniel Caprini (Fiorentina), Alphadjo Cisse (Hellas Verona)**, Jeff Ekhator Osayuki (Genoa), Seydou Fini (Excelsior Rotterdam), Mattia Mosconi (Inter), Diego Sia (AC Milan)
*Called up on 1 September to replace the unavailable Francesco Camarda (AC Milan). **Called up on 2 September to replace the unavailable Gabriel Ramaj (Atalanta).
Staff
- Coach: Alberto Bollini
- Assistant Coach: Matteo Barella
- Goalkeeper Coach: Francesco Antonioli
- Fitness Coach: Nicolò Varesco
- Match Analyst: Luca Dalmasso
- Doctors: Francesco Maria Nifosì and Gianluca Ciolli
- Nutritionist: Alessio Colli
- Physiotherapists: Giuseppe Galli and Simone Siciliano
- Secretary: Aldo Blessich
International U19 Friendly Tournament
Single Group: Croatia, Germany, England, and ITALY
Matchday 1 (Wednesday, 4 September)
England 2-2 ITALY
Standings: England and ITALY 1 point, Croatia and Germany 0 points.
Matchday 2 (Saturday, 7 September)
15:00 CEST: ITALY vs. Germany, Podravina Stadium, Ludbreg
16:45 CEST: Croatia vs. England, Koprivnica Stadium, Koprivnica
Matchday 3 (Tuesday, 10 September)
11:00 CEST: Croatia vs. ITALY, Nedelišće Stadium, Čakovec
16:30 CEST: Germany vs. England, Koprivnica Stadium, Koprivnica
