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FLORENCE, ITALY - SEPTEMBER 17: Marcello Fugazzola of Italy U16 in action during the friendly match between Italy U16 and Spain U16 at Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano on September 17, 2024 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Marcello Fugazzola
Bitter defeat for Italy’s U16s, who lost 1-4 to Spain at Coverciano after narrowly losing 2-3 two days ago. Spain got the lead after 12 minutes with Barcelona’s 14-year-old Ruslan Mba Hernándo’s scoring first. Valencia’s Marc Martínez Hervás and Real Madrid’s Jairo Morilla Orce extended the lead in the 37th and 41st minute respectively. After half-time, Guillermo 'Guille' Trujillano Ortega from Atlético Madrid scored the fourth, before Marcello Fugazzola rescued one back by calmly converting a penalty in the 87th minute.
Coach Marco Scarpa’s comments: "It was a difficult match against a strong opponent, who exposed some of our weaknesses. The results are unfortunate given how many chances we created. Spain was more clinical than us and we need to score more. High-level games such as this one will help us grow and understand where to improve."