Another outstanding display from the Italy U16 team, who swept aside Czechia 4-1 at the Municipal Stadium in Macedo de Cavaleiros on the second matchday of the UEFA Development Tournament, taking place in Portugal until Sunday 24 May, and claimed top spot in the table with a perfect record (six points).

The Azzurrini broke the deadlock in the 59th minute through Borussia Mönchengladbach forward Maximilian Donner before extending their lead to 3-0 thanks to goals from Inter striker Filippo Serantoni and Lazio attacking midfielder Michele Elena. In the later stages, Czechia reduced the deficit through Sigma Olomouc defender Adam Všetýček in the 82nd minute, but Manuel Pasqual’s side restored their three-goal advantage in the 86th minute via Atalanta midfielder Nicola Cappellato.

“In the first half we showed some positive signs, along with some that were less convincing,” explained the Azzurri coach, “while in the second half, the players and staff came together to adjust a few things and refine some patterns of play, bringing more order and increasing the tempo of our build-up, which allowed us to make the most of our opponents’ physical drop-off. Despite dominating possession for long stretches of the game, we still need to learn how to manage different phases of a match, understanding when to circulate the ball and when to play vertically, because the objective is to continue improving ahead of next season, when these players will be called upon to compete in the European qualifiers. Overall, although we gave our opposition a few chances, I’m happy because we showed an attacking mentality and created plenty of scoring opportunities.”

Italy will return to action in Macedo de Cavaleiros on Sunday 24 May (11:00 local time, 12:00 CEST) to face hosts Portugal, who take on Greece later this afternoon (17:00 local time, 18:00 CEST) at the Municipal Stadium in Bragança. “In addition to having watched them two days ago in the match against Czechia,” added Pasqual, “we already faced them in December at Coverciano [a 3-0 defeat on 16 December and a 2-0 victory on 18 December, ed.]. They have important technical quality, excellent ball circulation and wingers capable of causing problems for anyone in one-on-one situations: it will be the decider, given that six months ago we each won one friendly.”

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: Umberto Costante (Inter), Filippo Rondelli (Atalanta);
Defenders: Mattia Barbone (Fiorentina), Giuseppe Cafasso (Lecce), Daniel Ethan Colombo (Virtus Entella), Lorenzo Damonte (Genoa), Alessandro Ghiotto (Juventus), Raphael Libero Mazzotta (Juventus), Jeff Odje (Atalanta), Alberto Samà (Juventus);
Midfielders: Lorenzo Bernamonte (Fiorentina), Nicola Cappellato (Atalanta)*, Edoardo Rastello (Torino), Roberto Scaglione (Genoa), Gabriele Tufaro (Juventus);
Forwards: Achille Cauli (Como), Maximilian Donner (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Michele Elena (Lazio), Giuseppe Pipitò (Juventus), Filippo Serantoni (Inter)**.

* Called up on 14 May to replace the unavailable Cristian Norelli (Cremonese).
** Called up on 16 May to replace the unavailable Mattia Niccolò Barzagli (Fiorentina).

Staff – Head Coach: Manuel Pasqual; Assistant Coach: Matteo Barella; Goalkeeping Coach: Davide Quironi; Fitness Coach: Luca Coppari; Match Analyst: Nicolò Tolin; Doctors: Gabriele Altavilla and Riccardo Capitani; Nutritionist: Filippo Maria Perricelli; Physiotherapist: Luca De Marchi; Secretary: Fabio Ferappi.

UEFA Development Tournament

Single group: Czechia, Greece, ITALY, Portugal

Matchday 1 (Tuesday 19 May)
Italy 5-1 Greece
Portugal 2-0 Czechia

Matchday 2 (Thursday 21 May)
Italy 4-1 Czechia
18:00 CEST: Portugal vs Greece, Municipal Stadium, Bragança

Standings: Italy 6, Portugal 3, Greece 0 (-4), Czechia 0 (-5).

Matchday 3 (Sunday 24 May)
12:00 CEST: Portugal vs Italy, Municipal Stadium, Macedo de Cavaleiros
15:00 CEST: Czechia vs Greece, Municipal Stadium, Macedo de Cavaleiros