A winning start for Alberto Bollini's Italy Under-19 side, who defeated Serbia 2-0 at The Oval in Caernarfon in their opening Group B fixture of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals in Wales.

The Azzurrini took the lead in the 11th minute through a penalty won and converted by Catanzaro playmaker Mattia Liberali, before Inter forward Jamal Iddrissou wrapped up the victory in the 76th minute.

With this result, while awaiting the outcome of Croatia vs Ukraine (kick-off at 21:00 CEST in Bangor), Italy move provisionally to the top of the group on three points.

"It wasn't an easy match," said the Italy coach. "We were facing a physical, determined opponent who is very good at making the most of key moments. We moved the ball well, created two scoring opportunities in addition to winning a penalty. Even when we were under pressure, the team stayed compact, which was an important sign. We also built some good counter-attacks, although we could have made it 2-0 earlier. It's not easy to play after almost two months without competitive football and immediately rediscover the rhythm of a match, which is not only physical but also technical. That's why this is an extremely important result."

Bollini's side will return to action on Thursday 2 July (15:00 CEST), once again in Caernarfon, to face Croatia, who opened their tournament against Ukraine later this evening at Bangor City Stadium. "We'll start thinking about the next match from tomorrow," concluded the Azzurrini coach.

MATCH REPORT. Italy lined up in a 4-3-3, with Coletta, Iddrissou and Mosconi forming the attacking trio. Serbia mirrored the same system, with Kostić, Damjanović and Ćirić leading the line.

Mattia Liberali, the 2007-born Catanzaro midfielder, converted the penalty that made it 1–0 to the Azzurrii

The Azzurrini made a bright start and came close to taking the lead twice in the sixth minute, first through Mosconi and then Coletta, but both right-footed efforts were denied by the alert Čarapić. Italy's pressure continued to build and, in the 10th minute, Liberali caused problems down the right flank before seeing his curling left-footed effort brilliantly blocked by a headed clearance from captain Simić. Just a minute later, the Serbian defender brought down Italy's number 10 inside the area. Liberali stepped up himself and made no mistake from the spot, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way with a composed left-footed finish. Shaken by the goal, Serbia nearly equalised in the 17th minute when Ćirić attempted an audacious chip that drifted just wide of the right-hand post. Towards the end of the first half, after a tame Italian effort from Verde following a cross by Coletta, goalkeeper Pessina produced two crucial saves to deny Ćirić, first in the 40th minute and again in first-half stoppage time. After the only minute of added time signalled by German referee Florian Badstübner, Italy went into the break with a deserved 1-0 lead.

Italy started the second half on the front foot and almost doubled their advantage in the 48th minute, when Mosconi's dangerous low cross flashed across the six-yard box just beyond the reach of Coletta at the far post. Two minutes later, the Azzurrini struck the crossbar through Coletta, who connected with another excellent pass from Iddrissou. The decisive second goal arrived in the 76th minute. Idele released Iddrissou down the right, and the Inter striker drove into the penalty area before beating Čarapić with a precise low finish at the near post. Serbia almost pulled one back moments later, but substitute Novičić saw his free-kick crash against the crossbar in the 79th minute. Before the final whistle, the Serbians threatened once more from another set piece, but substitute Ranković curled his effort inches wide of the left-hand post in the 88th minute. After three minutes of added time, the final whistle confirmed a fully deserved victory for the Azzurrini, who begin their European Championship campaign in the best possible fashion.

Jamal Iddrissou, Inter's 2007-born forward, scored the goal that doubled the Azzurri's lead

ITALIA 2-0 SERBIA

Italia (4-3-3): Pessina; Nardin, Natali, Verde, Cocchi (89’ Marello); Liberali (69’ Mantini), Sala ©, Comotto (69’ Elimoghale); Coletta, Iddrissou, Mosconi (61’ Idele). Substitutes: Vannucchi (GK), De Paoli, Wiafe, Arena, Rizzo. Coach: Alberto Bollini.

Serbia (4-3-3): Čarapić; Stojković, Hadžimujović, Simić ©, Petrović; Novičić, Makević (58' Ranković), Milosavljević; Kostić (58' Zarić), Damjanović(73' Borovina), Ćirić (73' Subotić). Substitutes: Draškić (GK), Pavlović, Roganović, Radić, Mladenović. Coach: Gordan Petrić.

Referee: Florian Badstübner (GER). Assistant referees: Christian Gittelmann (GER) and Murat Kücükerbir (NED). Fourth official: Joey Kooij (NED).

Goalscorers: 11’ pen. Liberali (ITA), 76’ Iddrissou (ITA).

Booked: Natali (ITA) 26’, Kostić (SRB) 45’+1, Nardin (ITA) 49’, Mosconi (ITA) 51’, Iddrissou (ITA) 70’ and Mantini (ITA) 78’.

Added time: 1’, 3’.

Top, left to right: Nardin, Pessina, Iddrissou, Verde, Comotto and Natali. Bottom, left to right: Mosconi, Coletta, Liberali, Cocchi and Sala.

SQUAD LIST

Goalkeepers: 1. Tommaso Vannucchi (Cosenza), 22. Massimo Pessina (Bologna);

Defenders: 3. Matteo Cocchi (Inter), 4. Federico Nardin (Roma), 5. Andrea Natali (AZ Alkmaar), 6. Cristiano De Paoli (Como), 13. Francesco Verde (Juventus), 19. Mattia Marello (Inter), 21. Niccolò Rizzo (Juventus);

Midfielders: 7. Federico Coletta (Benfica), 8. Emanuele Sala (Milan), 10. Mattia Liberali (Catanzaro), 14. Christian Comotto (Spezia), 15. Samuel Wiafe (Modena), 16. Matteo Mantini (Grasshopper);

Forwards: 2. Javison Osarumwense Idele (Atalanta), 9. Jamal Iddrissou (Inter), 11. Mattia Mosconi (Inter), 17. Destiny Onoguekhan Elimoghale (Juventus), 20. Antonio Arena (Roma).

Staff – Head Coach: Alberto Bollini; Head of Delegation: Gianfranco Serioli; Youth National Teams Coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Assistant Coach: Christian Maggio; Goalkeeper Coach: Graziano Vinti; Fitness Coach: Nicolò Varesco; Match Analyst: Luca Dalmasso; Doctors: Andrea De Fazio and Francesco Maria Nifosì; Nutritionist: Dennis Dell’Unto; Physiotherapists: Giuseppe Galli and Simone Siciliano; Club Italia Scout: Alessandro Musicco; Administration, Finance, and Control Department: Antonio Martuscelli; Press Office: Alessandro Paoli; Secretary: Aldo Blessich.

 

UEFA European Under-19 Championship Wales 2026 | Final Tournament

Group Stage (28 June – 5 July)

Group A: Wales, Denmark, Germany, Spain
Group B: Croatia, Serbia, Italy, Ukraine

Matchday 1

Sunday 28 June

Wales 0-7 Spain
Germany 4-3 Denmark

Group A standings: Spain 3 pts (+7), Germany 3 pts (+1), Denmark 0 pts (-1), Wales 0 pts (-7).

Monday 29 June

Italy 2-0 Serbia
21:00 – Croatia vs Ukraine | Bangor City Stadium, Bangor

Group B standings: Italy 3 pts, Croatia 0 pts, Ukraine 0 pts, Serbia 0 pts (-2).

Matchday 2

Wednesday 1 July

19:00 – Denmark vs Spain | Central Park, Denbigh
21:00 – Wales vs Germany | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

Thursday 2 July

15:00 – Croatia vs Italy | The Oval, Caernarfon
19:00 – Serbia vs Ukraine | Bangor City Stadium, Bangor

Matchday 3

Saturday 4 July

15:00 – Denmark vs Wales | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham
15:00 – Spain vs Germany | Central Park, Denbigh

Sunday 5 July

17:00 – Ukraine vs Italy | Bangor City Stadium, Bangor
17:00 – Serbia vs Croatia | The Oval, Caernarfon

Knockout Stage (8–11 July)

FIFA U-20 World Cup Azerbaijan–Uzbekistan 2027 Play-Off

Wednesday 8 July

15:00 – Third-placed Team Group A vs Third-placed Team Group B | Bangor City Stadium, Bangor

Semi-finals

Wednesday 8 July

SF1 – 17:30: Winners Group A vs Runners-up Group B | Central Park, Denbigh

SF2 – 20:00: Winners Group B vs Runners-up Group A | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

Final

Saturday 11 July

20:00 – Winners SF1 vs Winners SF2 | Racecourse Ground, Wrexham

NB: All kick-off times are listed in CEST (Central European Summer Time).