It was a bitter start for Italy U15, who lost 2-1 to Spain at St George’s Park National Football Centre in Burton upon Trent on the opening day of the UEFA Development Tournament in England.

The Azzurrini conceded first at the 72nd minute, with Espanyol striker Hugo Oliva Villa opening the scoring, before Real Madrid forward Mikel López Andérez doubled Spain’s lead in the 76th. Italy pulled one back late through Fiorentina midfielder Abdl Salam Musah in the 86th minute.

"We faced a strong, well-prepared team,” explained coach Enrico Battisti. “In the first half we weren’t in major danger, but in the second half we struggled with the intensity of international football and went two goals down. Still, we reacted, reducing the gap and nearly equalising in the final minutes. Psychologically it wasn’t easy, so beyond the result I’m very happy. The boys wore the Azzurri shirt with pride. We’re on the right path.”

Italy U15 will return to action on Wednesday, December 17 (12:00 local time, 13:00 Italian time) at St George’s Park to face Iceland, who today suffered a 7-0 defeat to hosts England. “I’ll give playing time to those who featured less today,” Battisti added, “but we’ll obviously consider who’s freshest, as we’re still adjusting to this level of intensity. It’s our first experiences at this pace.” 

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Matteo Bondone (Genoa), Alessandro Posocco (Udinese);

Defenders: Lorenzo Allara (Juventus), Matthew Appiah Boateng (Parma), Giulio Cacucciolo (Torino), Niccolò Chieffallo (Roma), Mirko Danza (Atalanta), Alessandro Gennaro Esposito (Juventus), Domenico Lanatà (Stoccarda), Saverio Angelo Mesecorto (Sassuolo);
Midfielders: Daniele Geraci (Stoccarda), Alessandro Grigioni (Inter), Gianmarco Menicagli (Empoli), Abdl Salam Musah (Fiorentina), Alessio Nobile (Juventus), Diego Succi (Cesena), Marco Vaccarella (Juventus);
Forwards: Alberto Bellei (Atalanta), Massimo Falce (Albinoleffe), Leonardo Rossini (AC Milan), Stefano Scerbo (Napoli), Lorenzo Vitali (Parma).

Staff – Head Coach: Enrico Battisti; Deputy Coordinator of the Youth National Teams: Daniele Zoratto; Supervisore: Antonio Rocca; Assistant Coaches: Antonio Candreva e Bruno Redolfi; Goalkeeping coach: Francesco Antonioli; Fitness coach: Luca Bossi; Match analyst: Alessandro Davite; Doctors: Gabriele Altavilla and Lorenzo Sapegno; Physiotherapist: Marco Cerroni; Secretary: Francesco Lupi.

UEFA Development Tournament

Single group: England, Iceland, ITALY, Spain 

Matchday One (Monday, December 15)

England 7-0 Iceland

Spain 2-1 ITALY

Standings: England 3 (+7), Spain 3 (+1), ITALY 0 (-1), Iceland 0 (-7)

Matchday Two (Wednesday, December 17)

13:00 CET - ITALY vs Iceland, St George's Park National Football Centre, Burton upon Trent

17:00 CET – Spain vs England, St George's Park National Football Centre, Burton upon Trent

Matchday Three (Saturday, December 20)

11:00 CET - Iceland vs Spain, St George's Park National Football Centre, Burton upon Trent

11:30 CET – England vs ITALY, St George's Park National Football Centre, Burton upon Trent