The Azzurrini fell to defeat in front of 20,000 fans at the Pogon Arena, seeing their streak of four consecutive wins in the Euro 2027 qualifiers, come to an end. Despite a brilliant performance filled with personality and quality, Italy were defeated 2-1 by Poland, who equalised in the 83rd minute, before going on to win the game four minutes later. This evening, Baldini and his team will return to Italy to then think about the match on Tuesday against Montenegro, at the City Stadium in Niksic. Koleosho and Palestra will not be available in the next match due to suspension. Niccolò Fortini will re-enter the fray.

BALDINI. Silvio Baldini spoke at the end of the match: “The result hurts. It’s a shame because we were on the right track during the game, we weren’t risking anything. We lost a bit of balance and suffered a bit after the equaliser. I still want to give my kudos to the players, we can learn from the defeat. We must remain calm and confident, taking this confidence in our abilities into the game in Montenegro. Football always rewards you when you display passion and professionalism, despite the defeats that you face”.

PISILLI. Pisilli, the scorer of a brilliant goal, also spoke: “It’s definitely one of the best goals that I’ve scored. We’re satisfied with the performance, especially in the second half, when we created lots without conceding much until the equaliser. However, we can’t be totally happy and there is a bittersweet feeling, because after a match like this, you shouldn’t be defeated. We know that we need to work and improve. Our attention turns to Montenegro, this is football: you win, lose, draw, but the good thing is that there is always a game to bounce back in”.

THE FIRST HALF. Pogon Arena, built in 1935 and renovated in 2022, was completely sold out: with nearly 20, 000 fans present. Brzęczek employed a 4-2-3-1 formation: Lubak between the sticks, Nowak, Kutwa, Drapinksi and Gurgul at the back: Kozubal and Kocaba sitting in front: Duda, Pietuszewski and Pienko further forward to support Regula. Baldini gave starts to Comuzzo and Dagasso, who replaced Marianucci and Ndour. Palmisani started in goal for the third consecutive game, Mane in the middle of the defence, supported by Palestra and Bartesaghi out wide. Lipani started in the middle with Pisilli, behind a trio of Koleosho, Camarda and Cherubini. The Azzurrini had two very similar chances in the first half: in the 12th minute, Koleosho played a ball into the backpost for Cherubini, but he could not convert the header. In the 20th minute, the first real danger for Italy came. A counter-attack led by Regula and Pienko was denied by Palmisani. There were a few too many fouls from our players (Cherubini, Bartesaghi and Koleosho all booked), with nothing further happening in the first half.

SECOND HALF. Italy started the half well, applying lots of pressure but could not manage to get a shot off. The pressure soon produced a result: Palestra picked up the ball on the right, Dagasso played in Koleosho who crossed to the far post, where the ball was met by a fantastic volley from Pisilli to the opposite post. This marked the Roma midfielder’s third goal of the tournament, his fourth for the Under-21’s and seventh for the Italian Youth Teams. The rhythm was with the Azzurrini, who used their enthusiasm to create plays and chances. But, when the second goal seemed as if it was about to come, Poland launched a swift counterattack which surprised the Italian defence. Faberski played in Bogacz who slotted past Palmisani to make it 1-1 with seven minutes to go. The final blow came in the 87th minute: Kuziemka’s shot ended up just beneath the crossbar, with Palmisani scrambling to regain his position following a previous save against Faberski. Koleosho received his second yellow of the match, meaning he is suspended for the Montenegro game, just like Palestra who will miss it due to too many bookings.
 

POLAND 2–1 ITALY

POLAND (4-2-3-1): Lubik; Nowak, Kutwa, Drapinksi, Gurgul; Kozubal, Kocaba (66’ Drachal); Duda (75’ Faberski), Pietuszewski (75’ Kuziemka), Pienko (90’ Jakubczyk); Regula (66’ Bogacz).
Coach.: J. Brzęczek.
Unused subs.: Zich (gk), Potulski, Luberecki, Orlikowski.

ITALY (4-3-3): Palmisani; Palestra, Comuzzo, Mane, Bartesaghi; Dagasso, Lipani, Pisilli (82’ Berti); Koleosho, Camarda (75’ Cisse), Cherubini.
Coach.: S. Baldini.
Unused subs.: Mascardi (gk), Motta (gk), Idrissi, Vavassori, Faticanti, Fini, Guarino, Moruzzi.

Referee: Antoni Bandić (BIH)

Assistants: Nebojša Žugić, Amer Macić (BIH)

IV Official: Frano Jelic (BIH)

Scorers: 60’ Pisilli (I), 83’ Bogacz (P), 87’ Kuziemka (P)

Notes: Booked Cherubini, Bartesaghi, Koleosho, Palestra (I), Duda, Pietuszewski (P); sent off – Koleosho (I) 96’; corners 1-3.