PHOTO
Reigning European champions Italy Under-17s showed great character to come from behind and beat Ukraine 3-2 in Medulin on Matchday 3 of Group A at the Istria Youth Cup, which is being held in Croatia until 6 October.
Italy fell behind in the 21st minute when Rukh Lviv striker Ilya Bodak won and converted a penalty, before Atalanta midfielder Nicola Cappellato doubled Ukraine’s lead in the 41st minute. Manuel Pasqual’s side raised the tempo after the break and turned the game around. AC Milan forward Gabriele Borsa struck twice, first in the 47th minute and then from the penalty spot in the 55th, before Juventus striker Giuseppe Pipitò completed the comeback with the winner in the 88th minute.
“Overall, we played a good game, especially going forward, where we created a lot of shooting opportunities,” said the Italy coach. “Defensively, though, we’re still conceding from the first chances our opponents create. We need to raise our level of concentration and be more compact at the back, helping each other out. At half-time, when we were 2-0 down, I told the team that we were playing well, even though the pitch didn’t really suit our style. I said that with a little more focus defensively and a bit more precision in attack, we could get back into the game. I’m very pleased with the way they responded.”
The win temporarily takes the Azzurrini top of the group on seven points, pending the match between South Korea and Türkiye, which kicks off at 15:30. Italy will be back in action on Tuesday 6 October. If they finish top of the group, they will face the winner of tomorrow’s Group B decider between Croatia and Austria (12:30); if they finish second, they will take on the losing side. “We still don’t know where we’ll finish in the group,” Pasqual explained. “And even once that is decided, we’ll have to wait for tomorrow’s result in the other group before we know who our opponents will be. The one thing we do know is that we’ll have an extra day to recover physically and clear our heads. The decisions I make will obviously be based on what the players show me in training.”
THE MATCH. Italy lined up in their usual 4-3-1-2, with Vischi in goal; Colombo, captain Damonte, Barbone and Odje in defence; Norelli, El Hafid and Bernamonte in midfield; and Scaglione operating behind the front two of Salvai and Borsa. Ukraine set up in a 4-2-3-1, with Galdin between the posts; Mysiura, Bohatyr, Kyslianka and Hetmanov across the back; Byrladianu and Rybak in central midfield; and Donyk, Cappellato and Fedushko supporting captain Bodak, who led the line. Atalanta midfielder Cappellato had previously made four appearances and scored once for Italy Under-16s last season.
The Azzurrini started brightly and created the first clear chance of the game on the quarter-hour mark. Salvai received the ball near the right-hand corner of the six-yard box, cut inside and fired left-footed over the bar. Two minutes later, Scaglione tried his luck from 20 metres, but the No.10’s right-footed effort was off target. Ukraine grew into the game after a difficult start and, after Rybak had tested Vischi in the 20th minute, they broke the deadlock a minute later. Barbone brought down Bodak inside the box and Croatian referee Dragun pointed to the spot. Bodak stepped up himself and sent Vischi the wrong way with a left-footed penalty to put Samborskyi’s side ahead. Italy did not lose their composure and soon created chances to respond, first through Salvai in the 32nd minute and then Borsa two minutes later, but neither effort found the target. The Azzurrini continued to push and Borsa went close again in the 39th minute, forcing Galdin into a save with a fine strike from distance. Just as an equaliser appeared to be coming, however, Ukraine doubled their lead. Cappellato, the Atalanta midfielder and former Italy youth international, collected a pass from Rybak before beating Vischi with a low left-footed effort across goal. After one minute of added time, Ukraine went into the break with a 2-0 lead.
Italy made four changes at the start of the second half, with Bacuzzi, Guaglianone, Elena and Egharevba replacing Odje, Norelli, El Hafid and Salvai. The Azzurrini immediately went on the attack and pulled one back in the 47th minute. Egharevba, one of the substitutes, crossed from the left and, after a ricochet involving Galdin, Borsa was on hand to turn the ball in at the near post. Buoyed by the goal, Italy grew in confidence and found the moment that completely shifted the momentum in the 55th minute. Scaglione’s free-kick from 20 metres struck Cappellato’s outstretched arm in the wall and the referee pointed to the spot. Borsa made no mistake, calmly sending the Ukrainian goalkeeper the wrong way with his right foot to complete the comeback in just nine minutes. Ukraine offered a rare response in the 71st minute, when Cappellato saw a left-footed effort from the edge of the box blocked by an Italy defender. The tempo dropped as the game wore on, but the Azzurrini remained in control and continued to search for a winner. Guaglianone tested Galdin from a free-kick in the 83rd minute, but the goalkeeper gathered comfortably. Five minutes later, Italy completed the turnaround. Elena released Pipitò, who had replaced Borsa in the 73rd minute, and the Juventus striker drove into the box before beating Galdin with a precise right-footed finish across goal in the 88th minute. There was little further action during four minutes of added time before the final whistle confirmed Italy’s 3-2 comeback victory. Pasqual’s side moved temporarily to the top of Group A on seven points.
Istria Youth Cup
Group A: ITALY, South Korea, Ukraine, Türkiye
Group B: Croatia, Hungary, Norway, Austria
Matchday 1 (Saturday 26 September)
South Korea 0-5 Ukraine
ITALY 3-3 Türkiye
Matchday 2 (Tuesday 29 September)
Ukraine 0-2 Türkiye
ITALY 5-2 South Korea
Group B semi-finals (Wednesday 30 September)
Croatia 3-2 Hungary
Austria 2-1 Norway
Matchday 3 (Friday 2 October)
Ukraine 2-3 ITALY
15:30: Türkiye vs. South Korea, Park Plaza Belvedere, Medulin
Standings: ITALY 7, Türkiye 4, Ukraine 3, South Korea 0.
Group B third-place play-off (Saturday 3 October)
F3) 15:30: Hungary vs. Norway, Park Plaza Belvedere, Medulin
Group B final (Saturday 3 October)
F1) 12:30: Croatia vs. Austria, Park Plaza Belvedere, Medulin
Seventh-place play-off (Tuesday 6 October)
10:00: Loser of F3 vs. fourth-placed team in Group A, Park Plaza Belvedere, Medulin
Fifth-place play-off (Tuesday 6 October)
11:15: Winner of F3 vs. third-placed team in Group A, Park Plaza Belvedere, Medulin
Third-place play-off (Tuesday 6 October)
12:45: Loser of F1 vs. second-placed team in Group A, Park Plaza Belvedere, Medulin
Final (Tuesday 6 October)
15:30: Winner of F1 vs. first-placed team in Group A, Park Plaza Belvedere, Medulin