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After coming from behind to beat Turkmenistan 5-1 in their opening match yesterday and cruising to a 3-0 victory over Qatar this morning, Italy's Under-15 national team continued their impressive form with a resounding 9-0 win over the Cook Islands on Pitch 4B at the Hovsan Competition Complex in Baku. The victory came in their third Group L fixture of the qualifying stage of the FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, which is taking place in Azerbaijan until October 30.
Roma playmaker Rayan Reguig opened the scoring in the third minute before Parma striker Manuel Ferraro struck twice in quick succession (5', 9'). AC Milan forward Andrea Kostyuk added a fourth in the 14th minute, with Atalanta midfielder Malick Koite making it 5-0 just two minutes later. After the break, Enrico Battisti's side continued to dominate, with Ferraro adding two more goals (26', 35') to take his personal tally to four. Reguig (27') and Kostyuk (31') also found the net for a second time each, completing their braces and sealing an emphatic 9-0 victory for the Azzurrini.
“There was a clear gulf in quality between the two teams,” said Italy head coach Enrico Battisti. “That makes it difficult to draw certain conclusions. Understandably, our opponents focused on conceding as few goals as possible, clearing the ball as far away from their goal as they could whenever they had the chance. Despite the convincing scoreline, we could and should have done more in front of goal. In the coming matches, I'd like to see the boys focus less on showcasing their individual skills and be more clinical and determined to score for the team.”
The Azzurrini currently sit top of Group L with a perfect nine points and will return to action tomorrow for their final two qualifying matches. They face Benin at 9:45 CET on Pitch 1B before taking on Hong Kong at 16:30 CET on Pitch 3B. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw on Pitch 3B this afternoon, with Lap Ho scoring for Hong Kong and Dossou Zanvo finding the net for Benin. “We'll focus on recovering as much as possible ahead of tomorrow,” Battisti added. “We want to progress to the next stage of the tournament with the best possible finish in the group.”
THE MATCH. Italy lined up with Brigante in goal and a back three of D’Eletto, who took over the captain’s armband from Tambaro, Chirico and Vian. Reguig, Turrini and Musella started in midfield, with Ferraro leading the attack. The Cook Islands fielded Scheel in goal, behind a defensive line of Tapena, captain Williams and Herman. Urirau, Angene and Mokotapu made up the midfield, with Mataroa the lone striker.
The Azzurrini broke the deadlock in the third minute when Reguig met Vian's cross from the left with a left-footed volley. Enrico Battisti's side kept up the pressure and doubled their lead just two minutes later through Ferraro, who cut inside from the left before beating Scheel with a right-footed finish. The Italy number 9 struck again four minutes later, tapping home from close range after Musella's long-range effort had been parried. Italy were firmly in control, with Criscito hitting the crossbar in the 11th minute and the post just a minute later. Kostyuk then made it 4-0 with a right-footed strike from the edge of the area, before Koite added a fifth in the 16th minute with a precise effort from distance. The Cook Islands threatened a response a couple of minutes before the break, but Brigante was equal to Williams' free-kick.
Italy continued to dominate after the restart. After Musella had seen an effort turned behind for a corner by the Cook Islands goalkeeper, Ferraro made it 6-0 in the 26th minute with a shot from the edge of the area. Just a minute later, Reguig completed his brace with a well-placed left-footed finish. The Cook Islands then had two attempts of their own, with Galliera denying Williams in the 27th minute and Criscito thwarting Angene two minutes later. Italy extended their lead again in the 31st minute when Kostyuk pounced on a loose ball following a defensive clearance to complete his brace. Ferraro had the final say in the 35th minute, tapping home D'Eletto's delivery from the right to score his fourth goal of the match and seal an emphatic 9-0 victory.
ITALY vs. COOK ISLANDS 9-0 (5-0 HT)
Italy (3-3-1): Brigante; D'Eletto (c), Chirico, Vian; Reguig, Turrini, Musella; Ferraro | Carpi, Criscito, Tambaro, Kostyuk, Galliera (GK), Koite. Head coach: Enrico Battisti.
Cook Islands (3-3-1): Scheel; Tapena, Williams (c), Herman; Urirau, Angene, Mokotapu; Mataroa | Vano, Aperau-Toa, Simona, Manuela, Nga, Ngametua. Head coach: Tuka Tisam.
Goalscorers: 3' Reguig (ITA), 5' Ferraro (ITA), 9' Ferraro (ITA), 14' Kostyuk (ITA), 16' Koite (ITA), 26' Ferraro (ITA), 27' Reguig (ITA), 31' Kostyuk (ITA), 35' Ferraro (ITA).
Notes: Williams (COK) booked in the 20th minute. Added time: 1 minute in the first half, none in the second half.
FIFA U-15 WORLD CUP & FESTIVAL AZERBAIJAN 2026
Qualifying stage (October 24th–26th)
Group A: Anguilla, Estonia, France, Kosovo, Maldives, South Africa;
Group B: Algeria, Argentina, Chinese Taipei, Malawi, Oman, Suriname;
Group C: Cambodia, England, Montenegro, Nicaragua, 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, Paraguay, Seychelles, Tahiti;
Group W: Bahamas, Ghana, Guam, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, Uzbekistan;
Group X: Comoros, Moldova, Montserrat, Tanzania, Uruguay, Zambia;
Group Y: Albania, Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Rwanda, Turks and Caicos Islands, Vanuatu;
Group Z: Chad, Kenya, Malta, Niger, North Macedonia, Panama;
Group AA: Antigua and Barbuda, Burkina Faso, 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, East Timor.
Group L Schedule
Matchday 1 (Saturday, October 24th)
Hong Kong vs. Cook Islands 3-0
ITALY vs. Turkmenistan 5-1
Benin vs. Qatar 2-3
Matchday 2 (Sunday, October 25th)
Turkmenistan vs. Hong Kong 2-1
Cook Islands vs. Benin 0-10
ITALY vs. Qatar 3-0
Matchday 3 (Sunday, October 25th)
Hong Kong vs. Benin 1-1
ITALY vs. Cook Islands 9-0
Qatar vs. Turkmenistan 4-0
Standings: ITALY 9, Qatar 6, Hong Kong 4 (+2), Benin 4 (+9), Turkmenistan 3, Cook Islands 0.
Matchday 4 (Monday, October 26th)
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 26th)
16:30: Cook Islands vs. Qatar, Pitch 1B
16:30: Benin vs. Turkmenistan, Pitch 2B
16:30: Hong Kong vs. ITALY, Pitch 10A
Tournament stage (October 28th–30th)
Finals (Friday, October 30th)
Note: All times are in CET (Central European Time).