© Oleh Kozin

There are stories that begin away from the spotlight, on the outskirts of towns and during long bus journeys. Stories filled with hard work, dreams tied to a ball, and young players with one objective: to become great. Coached by Massimiliano Favo, the Under-17 National Team (and reigning European champions) have made it. They will be at the World Cup. Sometimes, the future arrives sooner than expected.

Thanks to the results of the other six groups in the second round of League A, Italy have secured qualification for the World Cup scheduled to place from 3 to 27 November in Qatar. It will be the seventh time the Azzurrini have taken part (1991, 1993, 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2019). They last did so six years ago, in Brazil, with the current Under-21 National Team Head Coach, Carmine Nunziata, in the dugout. Back then, Italy were eliminated by the hosts in the quarter-finals (Italy 0-2 Brazil, 11 November 2019).

But there’s still another chapter left in the U17s’ story. At the Stadion Branko Čavlović-Čavlek in Karlovac, they are still to play another match. It was meant to take place yesterday but, as destiny would have it, it was postponed to today (12:00 CET).

The Azzurrini are set to face Croatia, with both sides sitting on six points in Group A1 and having mathematically qualified for the World Cup. At stake is first place, which guarantees a spot in the European Championship finals taking place in Albania between 19 May and 1 June. The Azzurrini need a win, while a draw will be enough for their opponents due to the fact they’ve scored one more goal (four).

UEFA European Under-17 Championship | League A | Group A1

Matchday 1 (Wednesday 19 March)
Ukraine 1-2 Croatia
Italy 1-0 Slovakia

Matchday 2 (Saturday 22 March)
Italy 2-1 Ukraine
Croatia 2-1 Slovakia

Matchday 3

Tuesday 25 March
Slovakia 0-1 Ukraine

Table: Croatia 6, ITALY 6, Ukraine 3, Slovakia 0.

Wednesday 26 March
12:00 Croatia vs. Italy, Stadion Branko Čavlović-Čavlek in Karlovac