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A winning start for the Italy Under-15 national team, who came from behind to beat Turkmenistan 5-1 in their opening Group L qualifier for the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, taking place in Azerbaijan until October 30.
Playing on Pitch 5B at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku, the Azzurrini fell behind after just one minute when Artyom Chernov, the Gala striker born in 2011, opened the scoring. Italy responded immediately, however, with captain Alfredo Criscito striking twice in the 2nd and 5th minutes to turn the game around. The Genoa full-back is the eldest son of Domenico, who won 26 caps for the Italy senior national team during his playing career and now coaches Genoa's Under-20 side. Juventus defender Eric Vian then extended Italy's lead in the 13th minute. In the second 20-minute period, Criscito had another goal ruled out for offside in the 30th minute, but the Azzurrini continued to press forward. Parma striker Manuel Ferraro made it 4-1 a minute later, before Roma attacking midfielder Rayan Reguig rounded off the scoring in the 34th minute to seal an emphatic 5-1 victory.
The win puts Enrico Battisti's side joint top of the standings on three points alongside Hong Kong and Qatar. Hong Kong beat the Cook Islands 3-0 on Pitch 4B, with goals from Chun Tam and Ka Lam and an own goal by Taianu Williams, while Qatar edged Benin 3-2 on Pitch 6B. Benoît Dossou-Yovo and Noukpo Nounagnon scored for Benin, with Ahmed El-Sayed, Ortifus Noukle and Ali Yassein on target for Qatar.
"We fell behind early on, but the team did really well to respond straight away and turn the game around," said Italy coach Battisti. "When you play on a smaller pitch (68 × 47 metres, ed.), long-range shots and quick combinations in tight spaces become particularly important. We created plenty of chances and, despite the scoreline, could have converted a few more. What pleased me most was how well the boys kept our opponents at bay, giving them very little over the 40 minutes. I was especially impressed by the way we reacted after conceding so early."
The Azzurrini return to action tomorrow with two matches, first against Qatar at 6:00 CET on Pitch 5B, followed by the Cook Islands at 12:45 CET on Pitch 4B.
THE MATCH. Italy started with Brigante in goal, Carpi, Chirico and Criscito in defence, Musella and Turrini in midfield, and Ferraro and Kostyuk up front. Turkmenistan lined up with Begenjov in goal, Hamrayev, Bayramgulyyev and Ibragim Kambarov at the back, Soyunov, Artykov and captain Agayev in midfield, with Chernov leading the attack as the lone striker.
Turkmenistan took the lead inside the opening minute through Chernov, who latched onto Agayev's pass through the middle and beat Brigante with a left-footed finish. The Azzurrini responded immediately, with Criscito heading home from a Musella corner in the 2nd minute to level the score. Just a minute later, Musella himself came agonisingly close to putting Italy ahead, striking the post with a right-footed effort from the edge of the box. Battisti's side completed the turnaround in the 5th minute when Criscito reacted quickest to a scramble in the six-yard box, turning the ball home with his left foot to complete his brace. Italy continued to push forward and added a third in the 13th minute through Vian, who pounced on a defensive clearance following a corner from the right and fired a left-footed effort past the goalkeeper, aided by a couple of deflections. Turkmenistan threatened before the break with a free kick from 16 metres out, but Agayev's right-footed effort was comfortably gathered by the Italy goalkeeper. The Azzurrini went into half-time with a 3-1 lead.
The second half began with chances for Kostyuk and D’Eletto, but Turkmenistan goalkeeper Begenjov was alert to deny the former's right-footed effort in the 21st minute and the latter's in the 27th. A fourth goal looked increasingly likely, and after the tireless Criscito had an effort ruled out for offside on the half-hour mark, it duly arrived in the 31st minute. Ferraro collected a pass on the edge of the box before drilling a low, right-footed shot across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner. Italy completed the scoring in the 34th minute when Reguig latched onto a pass from Kostyuk, beat Hamrayev and fired a right-footed finish across goal to seal the 5-1 victory.
ITALY 5-1 TURKMENISTAN (3-1 HT)
Italy (2-3-2): Brigante; Chirico, Carpi; Musella, Turrini, Criscito (C); Ferraro, Kostyuk | Galliera (GK), Vian, Tambaro, D'Eletto, Reguig, Koite. Coach: Enrico Battisti.
Turkmenistan (3-3-1): Begenjov; Hamrayev, Bayramgulyyev, Kambarov I.; Soyunov, Artkov, Agayev (C); Chernov | Myradov (GK), Podarov, Agamyrov, Jemshidov, Sharafatdinov, Berdyyev. Coach: Aziz Kambarov.
Goalscorers: 1' Chernov (TKM), 2' Criscito (ITA), 5' Criscito (ITA), 13' Vian (ITA), 31' Ferraro (ITA), 34' Reguig (ITA).
Additional time: 0 minutes in the first half, 0 minutes in the second half.
FIFA U-15 WORLD CUP & FESTIVAL
Qualifying phase (October 24–26)
Group A: Anguilla, Estonia, France, Kosovo, Maldives, South Africa;
Group B: Algeria, Argentina, Chinese Taipei, Malawi, Oman, Suriname;
Group C: Cambodia, England, Montenegro, Nicaragua, Republic of Ireland, Zimbabwe;
Group D: Brazil, Democratic Republic of the Congo, El Salvador, Guinea-Bissau, Nepal, Tunisia;
Group E: Barbados, Chile, Congo, Kuwait, Spain, Tajikistan;
Group F: Belize, Costa Rica, Curaçao, Liberia, Morocco, Philippines;
Group G: Bangladesh, Burundi, Fiji, Indonesia, Portugal, Wales;
Group H: Dominica, Ethiopia, Hungary, Malaysia, Mexico, Syria;
Group I: Bulgaria, Gabon, Latvia, Lesotho, Scotland;
Group J: Angola, Central African Republic, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands;
Group K: Bahrain, Cameroon, Grenada, India, Laos, Senegal;
Group L: Benin, Cook Islands, Hong Kong, ITALY, Qatar, Turkmenistan;
Group M: Colombia, Dominican Republic, Eswatini, Samoa, Slovakia, Thailand;
Group N: Aruba, Croatia, Greece, Palestine, Saint Lucia, Yemen;
Group O: Belarus, Botswana, Mali, Mongolia, Papua New Guinea, Peru;
Group P: American Samoa, Canada, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, Singapore;
Group Q: Bhutan, South Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, United Arab Emirates;
Group R: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Guyana, Iran, Mauritius, Vietnam;
Group S: Cayman Islands, Egypt, Iraq, Macau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago;
Group T: Madagascar, Mozambique, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Somalia, Venezuela;
Group U: Cape Verde, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Kyrgyzstan, Tonga, Uganda;
Group V: Bolivia, Gibraltar, Libya, Paraguay, Seychelles, Tahiti;
Group W: Bahamas, Ghana, Guam, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Uzbekistan;
Group X: Comoros, Moldova, Montserrat, Tanzania, Uruguay, Zambia;
Group Y: Albania, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Rwanda, Turks and Caicos Islands, Vanuatu;
Group Z: Chad, Kenya, Malta, Niger, North Macedonia, Panama;
Group AA: Antigua and Barbuda, Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Lebanon, New Caledonia, Northern Ireland;
Group AB: Cuba, Czechia, Jamaica, Sri Lanka, Togo, US Virgin Islands;
Group AC: Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Georgia, Namibia, Poland, São Tomé and Príncipe;
Group AD: Cyprus, Gambia, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, South Sudan;
Group AE: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Russia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Türkiye;
Group AF: Andorra, Australia, Azerbaijan, Haiti, Israel, Timor-Leste.
Group L Schedule
Matchday 1 (Saturday, October 24)
Hong Kong 3-0 Cook Islands
ITALY 5-1 Turkmenistan
Benin 2-3 Qatar
Standings: Hong Kong 3 (+3), ITALY 3 (+4), Qatar 3 (+1), Cook Islands 0 (-3), Turkmenistan 0 (-4), Benin 0 (-1).
Matchday 2 (Sunday, October 25)
6:00: Turkmenistan vs. Hong Kong, Pitch 3
6:00: Cook Islands vs. Benin, Pitch 4B
6:00: ITALY vs. Qatar, Pitch 5B
Matchday 3 (Sunday, October 25)
12:45: Hong Kong vs. Benin, Pitch 3B
12:45: ITALY vs. Cook Islands, Pitch 4B
12:45: Qatar vs. Turkmenistan, Pitch 5B
Matchday 4 (Monday, October 26)
9:45: Benin vs. ITALY, Pitch 1B
9:45: Turkmenistan vs. Cook Islands, Pitch 2B
9:45: Qatar vs. Hong Kong, Pitch 10A
Matchday 5 (Monday, October 26)
16:30: Cook Islands vs. Qatar, Pitch 1B
16:30: Benin vs. Turkmenistan, Pitch 2B
16:30: Hong Kong vs. ITALY, Pitch 10A
Tournament phase (October 28–30)
Finals (Friday, October 30)
Note: All times are in CET (Central European Time).