Baldini had said it time and again, almost like a mantra to his players: “You’re talented, you just need to show it and the wins will come.” Tonight, Lipani and his teammates did exactly that. Their talent shone through with a convincing performance, both as a group and individually, in a match made even tougher by Moruzzi’s red card in the 25th minute.

The 1-0 victory in North Macedonia, sealed by Luca Marianucci’s decisive strike, is the culmination of the foundations laid in these opening days of work. Six points from two games only strengthen the belief that this group can dream big. The U21s now pause for a month before returning on 10 and 14 October for their third and fourth qualifiers for Euro 2027. Cesena and Cremona will host the clashes with Sweden and Armenia, two more steps on a journey driven by ‘magic and madness’: chasing both the European Championship and the Olympic Games

BALDINI AND MARIANUCCI. “These are the best wins, when the challenge is tougher. They’re wins that help you grow; we needed to experience this kind of response,” said Baldini after the match. “The boys are starting to realise that even when we’re down to ten, if we stick together we can still get the job done. You can’t hold anything back. They showed real character, and afterwards they told me it felt even better to win that way. For a coach, that’s the most rewarding thing. We’ve only been working together for nine days, so I’m really pleased to see them grasp our ideas so quickly. We have to keep building on this. I’m glad to be here, and now I’ll have more time to plan the work in detail to help these boys.” The match-winner, as mentioned, came from Luca Marianucci. “The goal was something we’d worked on during the week. When Ndour laid the ball off, I made sure I was in the right place. It was important to finish the game off even with a man down. We showed real mental strength, because it wasn’t easy to see it through in those conditions. Winning like that felt even better, because we proved we’re a proper team, all together. We’re united, strong, and there’s already a great spirit in the group that’s helped us win our first two matches.”

MATCH REPORT. The Azzurrini lined up in a 4-3-3 once again, making three changes from their opener against Montenegro: Motta started in goal, Moruzzi came in at left-back, and Pafundi joined Koleosho and Raimondo up front. A sold-out crowd of 8,000 packed the Stadion Petar Miloševski in Bitola, creating a lively atmosphere. Italy began brightly, pushing forward through Koleosho’s bursts down the left. The first chance came in the 22nd minute when Pafundi’s cross was flicked on by Raimondo, but Vasilev managed to deflect it wide. Just two minutes later, however, the game turned. Moruzzi was sent off for bringing down Gashtarov – his second yellow in eight minutes – leaving Baldini’s side a man down with more than an hour left to play. Showing their character, Italy rallied and the setback seemed to sharpen their resolve. In the 34th minute, Ndour set up Marianucci, whose fine volley gave the Azzurrini the lead – his first goal in an Italy shirt.

SECOND HALF. After the break, Baldini introduced Ekhator in attack and his side remained dangerous despite the numerical disadvantage. Ndour went close with a header from a Pisilli corner, while Motta was alert to deny Hamza’s powerful effort at the other end. As the minutes ticked by, Italy naturally dropped deeper, but North Macedonia struggled to create clear chances. Reinforced with further changes from the bench, Baldini’s men held firm to secure a 1-0 win – their second straight victory in Euro 2027 qualifying.

NORTH MACEDONIA 0-1 ITALY

NORTH MACEDONIA: Vasilev; Dailoski (83' Elmas), Meljichi, Djekov; Hamza, Angelov (68' Gjogievski), Zendelovski (46' Elezi), Gashtarov, Danev; Trajkov, Nikolovski. Substitutes: Ljupche, Avduli, Dimeski, Talevski, Ajetovikj, Doshev; Man.: Goran Stanikj

ITALY: Motta; Palestra, Marianucci, Chiarodia, Moruzzi; Pisilli (81' Dagasso) Lipani, Ndour; Pafundi (28' Idrissi), Raimondo (46' Ekhator), Koleosho (75' Cherubini). Substitutes: Nava, Mane, Berti, Venturino, Fini; Man.: Baldini

Scorers: 34': Marianucci (I)

Referee: Genc Nuza (Kosovo); Assistants: Fatlum Berisha and Hekuran Osmani (Kosovo); Fourth Official: Mentor Ajeti (Kosovo)

Notes: Moruzzi (I) was sent off for a second yellow card, 25'.

UEFA U21 Championship Albania-Serbia 2027 | Qualifying

Group E

Matchday 1 (Friday 5th September)

Sweden vs. Armenia 3-0

Poland vs. North Macedonia 3-0

ITALY vs. Montenegro 2-1

Matchday 2 (Tuesday 9th September)

15:00 CEST: Armenia vs. Poland 0-4

18:15 CEST: North Macedonia vs. ITALY 0-1

20:00 CEST: Montenegro vs. Sweden 2-0

Standings: ITALY 6, Poland 6, Sweden 3, Montenegro 3, North Macedonia 0, Armenia 0.

Matchday 3 (Friday 10th October)

North Macedonia vs. Armenia

Poland vs. Montenegro

ITALY vs. Sweden (Cesena)

Matchday 4 (Tuesday 14th October)

ITALY vs. Armenia (Cremona)

Montenegro vs. North Macedonia

Sweden vs. Poland