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Italy suffered a narrow defeat against England in their second and final friendly, having beaten the same opponents 3-2 two days earlier.
England took the lead in the 43rd minute through Arsenal forward Ashiah Haughton Sinclair, before Parma attacking midfielder Lorenzo Vitali equalised from the penalty spot in the 80th minute. However, England snatched the winner in the 90th minute through Aaron Maghoma, also of Arsenal, sealing Italy’s defeat despite an encouraging performance.
“I believe we deserved more, considering how we played,” said Giovanni Costantino, “but the main thing was to put in two strong performances and get to know the boys better, to help us properly evaluate the squad. Beyond technical ability, the team showed they could hold their own against the English physically, too. We have a solid foundation to build on, thanks above all to the work of my predecessor [Enrico Battisti, the Under-15 coach, who was in the dugout as an assistant for the two matches] and Club Italia.”
Also in the stands at Pitch 2, named after Enzo Bearzot, was Roberto Mancini, Head Coach of Italy’s senior team. He led the team to victory over England at Wembley at EURO 2020 (held in 2021), which was Italy’s second title in the competition, following their 1968 win on home soil.
“It was a very positive fixture; it was played at a high tempo and with great quality from both sides. At the same time, we’re working to prepare as well as possible for the Nations League matches scheduled for September and October,” Mancini stated after the operational meeting with the full Azzurri staff, held today at the Coverciano Federal Technical Centre.
THE MATCH.
Italy lined up in their usual 4-3-1-2 formation, with Spanò in goal and Mesecorto, Pasotti, Cacucciolo and Esposito forming the back four. Mirabella anchored the midfield alongside captain Tilli and Buondonno, with Pica operating behind the front two of Cordopatri and Diofebo. England deployed a 4-2-3-1, with Robinson and Bolton in midfield and Semakula, Sealy and Charles supporting Haughton Sinclair.
The Azzurrini started brightly and gradually took control of the first half. Esposito went close with a header in the 18th minute, while Cordopatri and Diofebo both saw efforts blocked as Italy pushed for the opener. Despite Italy's strong spell, England struck first in the 43rd minute when Haughton Sinclair picked his spot from the edge of the box and fired a right-footed shot beyond Spanò. The visitors nearly doubled their lead before half-time, but Spanò produced an excellent save to deny Sealy before Bolton hit the crossbar from distance.
Italy came out strongly after the break. Sassetti, introduced at half-time, went close in the 47th minute, while Cordopatri also narrowly missed the target. At the other end, Lima Ramalho appeared to have beaten the goalkeeper in the 68th minute, only for Crofts to clear his effort off the line. The pressure finally paid off in the 80th minute. Crofts brought down Sassetti inside the area and the referee pointed to the spot. Vitali, who had come on for Pica in the 58th minute, kept his composure to send his right-footed penalty into the corner and make it 1-1. However, England responded immediately and pushed forward in search of a winner. Their persistence was rewarded in the 90th minute when Maghoma controlled the ball inside the area before firing into the bottom corner to restore England's lead. Italy were unable to find another equaliser during the three minutes of added time, and England held on for a 2-1 victory.
SQUAD LIST
Goalkeepers: Lorenzo Minicucci (Fiorentina), Samuele Spanò (Inter);
Defenders: Lorenzo Allara (Juventus), Giulio Cacucciolo (Torino), Niccolò Chieffallo (Roma), Mirko Danza (Atalanta), Alessandro Gennaro Esposito (Juventus)*, Saverio Mesecorto (Sassuolo), Rubens Nebatumbu (Leicester), Fabrizio Pasotti (Cremonese);
Midfielders: Francesco Buondonno (Napoli), Sean Luis Ebagua (Venezia), Mattia Mirabella (Roma)**, Mattia Pica (Roma), Gabriel Tedesco (Inter), Davide Tilli (Genoa), Marco Vaccarella (Juventus), Lorenzo Vitali (Parma);
Forwards: Mark Chidozie Cordopatri (Parma), Enzo Diofebo (Roma), Leonardo Maria Lima Ramalho (Bologna), Lorenzo Sassetti (Dundee United).
*called up on 23 August to replace the unavailable Bruno Savarese (Roma).
**called up on 24 August to replace the unavailable Christian Vigil Hidalgo (AC Milan).
Staff – Head Coach: Giovanni Costantino; Deputy Coordinator of Youth National Teams: Daniele Zoratto; Assistant Coaches: Enrico Battisti and Mirco Gasparetto; Goalkeeper Coach: Davide Quironi; Fitness Coach: Francesco Cosentino; Match Analyst: Andrea Loiacono; Doctor: Antonio Pizzino; Physiotherapist: Mattia Mollo; Nutritionist: Filippo Maria Perricelli; Press Officer: Alessandro Paoli; Secretary: Aldo Blessich.