Two wins from two – something that hadn’t happened since the 2013 European Championship – and a place in the quarter-finals already secured. After beating Romania in their opener thanks to Tommaso Baldanzi’s finish, the U21s recorded another 1-0 win last night, this time over tournament hosts Slovakia. Cesare Casadei was the hero, scoring the decisive goal that booked Italy’s spot in the knockouts with a game to spare.

The team returned to training this morning, with on-field drills and a practice match for those who didn’t play yesterday or only came on in the second half. All thoughts are now on Tuesday 17 June, when Italy will face Spain in Trnava with the aim of finishing first in Group A. The two teams have six points and the same goal difference, but Spain have scored three more goals. That means Italy will need a win to top the group and remain in Trnava for a quarter-final that would take place on Saturday 21 June. If the Azzurrini fail to beat the Spaniards, they’ll head to Dunajská Streda and play on Sunday 22 June. Waiting for them will be either the first- or second-placed side from Group B, with Germany and England currently occupying the top two positions after matchday 1. These two sides have won the last two editions of the tournament, so a tough test is guaranteed whoever Italy end up facing.

AMBROSINO. But next up are Spain, who, after grabbing a last-gasp win over Slovakia in their opener, struggled once again yesterday against Romania. Indeed, after falling 1-0 behind, they only managed to turn things around in the final five minutes, eventually winning 2-1 against ten men after substitute Blănaru was sent off. On as a substitute for the second time this tournament, Giuseppe Ambrosino played an important role against Slovakia by adding height and presence to the Azzurrini attack and helping the team hold off the hosts’ late pressure: “The coach asked me to make sacrifices and support my teammates,” he told FIGC’s official website and Vivo Azzurro TV. “Both myself and the others who came on tried to help defensively as well. We’ve wanted to progress to the knockouts since day one, and now we have to keep pushing to go as far as we can. This group has great character, and we’re always there for one another, both on and off the pitch.” The forward could be in line for his first start of the tournament against Spain: “They’re a really strong team, but we’ll stick to our principles and go out to play our game.”

Three summers ago, also in Slovakia, Ambrosino reached the semi-finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship. A year later, he was part of the U20 squad that lost to Uruguay in the final of the U20 World Cup in Argentina. Carmine Nunziata was in the Italy dugout for both tournaments, and now Ambrosino wants to win a trophy together with the current U21 Head Coach: “Since the World Cup, that defeat in the final has been on my mind every time I step onto the pitch. It gives me extra motivation. Together with my teammates, I want to win the trophy and make up for that loss.”

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: 1 Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), 22 Jacopo Sassi (Crotone), 12 Gioele Zacchi (Latina);

Defenders: 15 Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona), 6 Daniele Ghilardi (Hellas Verona), 19 Gabriele Guarino (Carrarese), 13 Michael Kayode (Brentford), 5 Lorenzo Pirola (Olympiacos), 3 Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), 16 Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), 2 Mattia Zanotti (Lugano);

Midfielders: 23 Alessandro Bianco (Monza), 8 Cesare Casadei (Torino), 18 Issa Doumbia (Venezia), 14 Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), 21 Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), 7 Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), 20 Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), 4 Matteo Prati (Cagliari);

Forwards: 9 Giuseppe Ambrosino (Frosinone), 11 Tommaso Baldanzi (Roma), 10 Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United), 17 Luca Koleosho (Burnley).

Staff – Head Coach: Carmine Nunziata; Delegation Head: Giancarlo Antognoni; Coordinator of Men’s National Youth Teams: Maurizio Viscidi; Team Manager: Gianfranco Serioli; Assistant Coaches: Matteo Brighi and Christian Maggio; Fitness Coaches: Vito Azzone and Luca Coppari; Goalkeeping Coaches: Fabrizio Ferron; Match Analyst: Gianluca Mazziotti; Doctors: Daniele Mazza and Vincenzo Santoriello; Nutritionist. Maria Luisa Cravana; Physiotherapists: Tommaso Cannata, Giuliano Gepponi and Nicola Sanna; Secretary: Manfredi Martino.

CALENDAR, RESULTS AND STANDINGS, GROUP A

MATCHDAY 1 (11 JUNE)

Slovakia 2-3 Spain
Italy 1-0 Romania

MATCHDAY 2 (14 JUNE)

Spain 2-1 Romania
Slovakia 0-1 Italy

Standings: Spain and Italy 6 points, Slovakia and Romania 0

MATCHDAY 3 (17 JUNE)

21:00 CEST – Spain vs. Italy (Trnava)
21:00 CEST – Romania vs. Slovakia (Bratislava)

*The top two teams from each group progress to the quarter-finals