After coming from behind to win their opening game against Belgium (2-1), the Under 16s were beaten 2-1 by Switzerland in Bry-sur-Marne in their second game of the ‘Val de Marne’ tournament. It was a game of two halves for the young Azzurrini, who fell behind early on to Sommer's 6th-minute strike, but replied at the start of the second half deservedly equalising thanks to AC Milan midfielder Mattia Liberali's goal, after Alessandro Ciardi's assist. But six minutes from the end, Switzerland found the winning goal through Cakolli, after a nice Swiss move, inflicting a first defeat of the torunament for Italy. 

“We struggled in the first 20 minutes, they got the goal which put us straight on the back foot," said Daniele Zoratto. "In the second half, we played better, but towards the end we ran out of steam a little and they made the most of it, carving out a nice goal." The Head Coach changed six of the eleven from the opening game win against Belgium: "In a tournament with such quality throughout, playing with the same lads for three games in such a short space of time isn't possible, so I feel it's right to rotate the squad to see who can gives us a hand." Italy will play their final game on Saturday at 16:00 CET against hosts France: "They are a good team, physically strong and with many quality players. It will be a tough match, but at the same time a great opportunity for our lads' development," said Zoratto.

Schedule, results and standings from ‘Val de Marne’ tournament

Matchday 1 (1 November)
Belgium vs. ITALY 1-2
France vs. Switzerland 5-1

Matchday 2 (3 November)
Switzerland vs. ITALY 2-1
France vs. Belgium 0-0

Standings: France 4 points, Switzerland and ITALY 3 points, Belgium 1

Matchday 3 (5 November)
14:00 CET: Switzerland vs. Belgium (Complexe Sportif Léo Lagrange – Bonneuil Sur Marne)
16:00 CET: France vs. ITALY (Complexe Sportif Léo Lagrange – Bonneuil Sur Marne)