After beating Belgium in February (4-1 and 1-0), the Under 16 national team had their first defeat of 2024 following a 3-0 loss to Germany in the first of two friendlies scheduled at the Framas Stadion in Pirmasens . The Azzurrini, after just five minutes, conceded the opening goal, scored by Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Lennart Karl, before conceding a second four minutes before the break (41'), this time scored by Alexander Staff. Four minutes intot he second half, Daniele Zoratto's boys conceded a penalty, which Germany tucked away, before Can Armando Güner grabbed the fourth. If that wasn't enough, in the closing stages, Italy's unlucky day also saw Juventus player, Marco Tiozzo Pagio, sent off.

"We faced a physically strong team," highlighted Daniele Zoratto, "who attacked us from the first to the last minute. Winning is obviously the best thing, but the boys' development will also come from negative experiences, like this one. Perhaps, 3-0 is a little harsh, but if they don't want to repeat today's performance then we have to learn from the mistakes made and improve in certain aspects."

The Azzurrini will be action against Germany at the Framas Stadion in Pirmasens on Monday 25 March (11:00 CET): "In the next match," the Azzurri coach underlined, "a chance to the start the game will be given to those who didn't today: we want to give the same growth opportunities to every player."