Putting those last seven minutes in Szczecin behind them and responding after their first defeat of the season; ending the year on a high before the long break until March 2026; keeping pace with group leaders Poland – or perhaps even closing that three-point gap at the top: Montenegro vs. Italy, scheduled for 18:30 CET at the City Stadium in Nikšić tomorrow, is all this and more.

In many ways, it’s a sliding-doors moment that could shape the Azzurrini’s destiny – a window of opportunity stretching over almost four hours, from 17:00 CET, when North Macedonia and Poland take to the pitch in Bitola, to 20:30 CET, when Portuguese referee Miguel Nogueira will blow for full-time in Nikšić. A chain of events unfolding across a little more than 400 kilometres – the distance separating the two grounds.

Before leaving Tirrenia for Podgorica, Silvio Baldini spoke to Rai about the mood within the Under-21 squad: “You should have seen how the team trained on Saturday and Sunday: with the spirit they showed, everything becomes easier. If we allowed that defeat to weigh on us, it would suggest we don’t really know what these lads are made of. I know that in football results are what matter, but I’ll say it again: I’m proud of this group and of these players – they never lack courage or the will to win.” With Koleosho and Palestra suspended and already back with their clubs since Saturday, Baldini – true to form – didn’t bother with mind games and announced the line-up: “Fortini will play in defence and Fini up front, on the left, while Cherubini will move over to the right.” Asked about the senior National Team’s match against Norway, Baldini stood firmly alongside Gennaro Gattuso: “At half-time, I thought we’d played really well, but clearly it was too early to say. I was very disappointed with how it finished, especially because I know how hard Gattuso is working and how much he cares about developing the team.”

From Dortmund to Tirrenia. One of the pillars of this Under-21 side is Filippo Calixte Mane, 20, who grew up between Magenta – where he was born and began playing football for local club Vela Mesero – Novara, and Genoa. At Sampdoria, he progressed through the youth ranks up to the Primavera. For the past five years, he has been living abroad, playing for Borussia Dortmund in Germany. He is now part of the first-team picture, having travelled to the USA for the Club World Cup and appeared in both the Bundesliga (two appearances) and the DFB-Pokal this season.

At international level, having been named on the bench against Montenegro and North Macedonia, he made his Under-21 debut on 10 October against Sweden in Cesena and hasn’t been dropped since. In his three appearances (270 minutes) so far, he’s earned the trust of Baldini and the squad, and he was one of the team’s standout performers against Poland: “Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. In the space of a few minutes, Poland managed to turn the game around, and our mistake was perhaps losing concentration in those two decisive moments.” Now, all thoughts are on Montenegro: “We’ve kept working without being influenced by Friday’s result. Our mentality won’t change.”

Before leaving Tirrenia, the Under-21s were joined at the Olympic Training Centre by the Women’s U19s, preparing for the first round of the European Championship in Tuscany over the coming days, and the Women’s U16s, who are holding a training camp. The players and their staff all came together for lunch in what has become a second home for Italy’s national teams – a sort of “branch” of Coverciano.

Numbers. After matchday five, according to uefa.com, Italy sit third for shots on goal (78 in total: 36 on target, 20 off, 22 blocked, with the woodwork hit on four occasions), behind Spain (104) and Portugal (97), although both teams have played one game fewer than the Azzurrini. Italy also rank third for corners taken (40, level with Germany), behind Spain (48) and Scotland (41). On the less flattering side, Italy have committed 83 fouls (the same as Montenegro), beaten only by Andorra (90). In terms of cards, Italy have received the most yellow (18 – level with Andorra) and red cards (three – ahead of Montenegro and Scotland with two) in these European qualifiers.

On an individual level, Pisilli is the player with the most shots on target (nine), together with Portugal’s Rodrigo Mora and Iceland’s Andersson. The Roma midfielder is also, alongside Camarda, in second place in the European qualifiers’ scoring charts with three goals, behind a group of six players leading the way on four goals.

2027 European Under-21 Championship. The qualifying phase will conclude in October 2026: the winners of each of the nine groups (A–I) and the best runner-up will qualify directly for the final tournament. The remaining eight runners-up will compete for the last four spots in two-legged play-offs on 9 and 17 November 2026. The finals will take place in June 2027 in Albania (Tirana, Shkodër, Elbasan and Rrogozhinë) and Serbia (Novi Sad, Loznica, Leskovac and Zaječar). The 16 sides involved will be divided into four groups of four teams each: the top two from each group will advance to the knockout stage, from the quarter-finals through to the final.
 

EUROPEAN UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION: GROUP E

Matchday 6: Armenia vs. Sweden (Tuesday, 12:00 CET); North Macedonia vs. Poland (Tuesday, 17:00 CET); Montenegro vs. Italy (Tuesday 18:30 CET).

Current standings after matchday 5: Poland 15, Italy 12, Montenegro 9, Sweden 6, North Macedonia 3, Armenia 0.
 

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Diego Mascardi (Spezia), Edoardo Motta (Reggiana), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone).

Defenders: Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Gabriele Calvani (Frosinone), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Niccolò Fortini (Fiorentina), Gabriele Guarino (Empoli), Riyad Idrissi (Cagliari), Filippo Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Brando Moruzzi (Empoli).

Midfielders: Tommaso Berti (Cesena), Matteo Dagasso (Pescara), Giacomo Faticanti (Juventus), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Kevin Zeroli (Monza).

Forwards: Francesco Camarda (Lecce), Alphadjo Cissè (Catanzaro), Luigi Cherubini (Sampdoria), Seydou Fini (Genoa), Dominic Vavassori (Atalanta).