The Italy Under-16 Women’s National Team continue their winning streak, after their opening 3–2 victory over Norway with a 4–1 win over Wales. They are now close to securing the UEFA Development Tournament title in Tirana ahead of the final game against Albania on Thursday. At the ‘House of Football’, the Albanian FA headquarters, Italy were dominant: Priscilla Del Prete’s side maintained tactical and technical control, in part thanks to their impressive fitness levels, which allowed them to pull away late on, as Wales pushed forward in search of an equaliser and left gaps to be taken advantage of.

Del Prete said, “The thing I like most about this group is that they never give up. Even when we are behind, I know they will fight until the very end. Over the past months, we’ve worked on certain tactical principles, and the girls have implemented them well. We want to always be aggressive, and today again we managed to press high for 90 minutes.”

THE MATCH. Despite making ten changes from the squad that beat Norway on Saturday, Italy maintained their identity and looked to cause trouble for Wales’ build-up right from the start. Their high press paid off in the 13th minute, when Josephine Brunetti (Juventus) intercepted the ball in the opposition half and, after a one-two with Sara Elshamy, finished from close range past Bryan. The Azzurrine came close to doubling their lead through Elshamy, before Elisa Vianello struck the crossbar to deny them a second goal. In the second half, against the run of play, Wales equalised through Stiens. However, Italy managed to quickly restore their lead thanks to another Juventus academy product, Martina Battocchio, who produced a stunning free-kick. Battocchio struck again from distance to beat the Welsh keeper before setting up Federica Faggioli (Fiorentina) for the decisive 4–1.

UEFA DEVELOPMENT TOURNAMENT

MATCHDAY 1 (11 April)
Italy 3–2 Norway
Albania 1–3 Wales

MATCHDAY 2 (13 April)
Italy 4–1 Wales
Albania vs. Norway 15:00 CEST

Standings: Italy 6 pts, Wales 3, Norway, and Albania 0

MATCHDAY 3 (16 April)
Italy vs. Albania 12:00 CEST
Norway vs. Wales 15:00 CEST