Tournament of Nations: Italy pegged back late on by the Czech Republic, last group game to be decisive
The Azzurrini took the lead through Turco's goal but conceded late on. Panico: "The draw was the right result, we should have killed it off earlier"Monday, April 29, 2019
After their 2-1 win against England in their opening match, the Under-15 National Team were pegged back late on against the Czech Republic (1-1) and thus missed out on winning their group with a match to spare. The Azzurrini now sit on four points along with the Czechs, with everything set to be decided tomorrow at 18:00 CEST, when Italy will face Qatar in Monfalcone and the Czech Republic will play England.
The Azzurrini played really well in the first half in Cormons: they hit the post through Gabriele Alesi and took the lead on the half-hour mark thanks to a goal from Juventus forward Nicolò Turco. After the break, the Czech Republic responded and drew level a minute into added time through Grygar.
"Overall, the 1-1 scoreline is the right result," said Head Coach Patrizia Panico, "even if it's frustrating to concede in the last minute. We started off really well and should have killed the game off earlier. This should serve as a lesson to us."
Fixtures, results and Group A standings
First matchday (27 April)
ITALY 2-1 England
Czech Republic 4-0 Qatar
Second matchday (29 April)
ITALY 1-1 Czech Republic
England 6-0 Qatar
Standings: ITALY and Czech Republic 4 points, England 3, Qatar 0
Third matchday (30 April)
ITALY-Qatar (18:00 CEST – Monfalcone)
England-Czech Republic (18:00 – Carlino)