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The Italy Women’s Under-19 national team’s training camp in Tirrenia ended in defeat, their second in four days following Saturday’s 5-1 loss.
Matteucci’s reaction. Beyond the scoreline and the 3-1 defeat, once again at the Olympic Preparation Centre and against their Norwegian counterparts, there were still plenty of positives to take away, as head coach Nicola Matteucci expressed. ‘I’m pleased with both the match and the training camp,’ the coach began, having returned to lead the Under-19 side after taking charge of the Under-20 team at the World Cup in September. ‘The only negative aspect is the defeat, especially as we’re very much a team still finding our feet. Over these past few days and across the two matches, our focus has been on giving all the players available to us a chance to play, ensuring everyone got plenty of minutes. Despite that, we played some good football for long spells against a strong opponent who are already preparing for Round 1, and we improved on Saturday’s performance. Tests against teams of this calibre are more than welcome, as they provide excellent preparation.’ Matteucci also reflected on the training camp as a whole: ‘I’d like to sincerely thank all the players, who have shown great willingness and commitment, as well as the staff, with whom we’ve begun working. These aren’t just words for the occasion; I genuinely mean them.’
The match. Nunzia Sgammato put the Azzurrine ahead in the 37th minute, but Norway equalised just two minutes later through Preus. At the start of the second half, the visitors struck twice in quick succession to take control of the game. Helland Flo scored in the sixth minute of the half, followed by Askedal in the eleventh, sealing the 3-1 result.
