As they prepare for the upcoming Euros, the U21s beat Bernardo Corradi’s Under-20 side 4-0 in an in-house friendly this afternoon at the CPO in Tirrenia. Head Coach Carmine Nunziata gave playing time to all the players called up for the final tournament, receiving encouraging signs just six days out from their opening match against Romania.

The U21s took a seventh-minute lead through Ambrosino and closed out the first half with a three-goal advantage thanks to a brace from Koleosho, who first scored with a brilliant individual effort and then found the net with a low-driven shot into the corner. In the second half, Gnonto headed home a Fazzini free-kick to make it 4-0. Two players from the Under-20s – Roma defender Filippo Reale and Genoa forward Osayuki Jeff Ekhator – will join up with the Under-21 squad from this evening through to Sunday.

“It was an extremely positive day with a great spirit of collaboration,” said Maurizio Viscidi, Coordinator of the Men’s National Youth Teams. “I want to thank both coaches, Nunziata and Corradi, for the synergy they demonstrated and the strong Club Italia spirit we felt today. It was a very useful test for the U21s to work on their game, and credit to the U21s for giving them a challenge. For us coaches, it was also a valuable opportunity to observe both the current crop of players and those of the future.”

BRUNELLI’S VISIT.
On Thursday morning, FIGC General Secretary Marco Brunelli paid a visit to the training camp in Tirrenia, meeting with players and staff from both national teams and passing on the best wishes of FIGC President Gabriele Gravina. After highlighting the recent successes of Italy’s youth sides – the result of the Federation’s investment and the ongoing work of Club Italia – Brunelli praised the players for their enthusiasm and wished them the best of luck ahead of their upcoming commitments, from the European Under-21 Championship finals to the Under-20 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Chile from 27 September to 19 October.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP SQUAD NUMBERS

Goalkeepers: 1 Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), 22 Jacopo Sassi (Crotone), 12 Gioele Zacchi (Latina);

Defenders: *15 Diego Coppola (Hellas Verona), 6 Daniele Ghilardi (Hellas Verona), 19 Gabriele Guarino (Carrarese), 13 Michael Kayode (Brentford), 5 Lorenzo Pirola (Olympiacos), 3 Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), 16 Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), 2 Mattia Zanotti (Lugano);

Midfielders: 23 Alessandro Bianco (Monza), *8 Cesare Casadei (Torino), 18 Issa Doumbia (Venezia), 14 Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), 21 Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), 7 Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), 20 Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), 4 Matteo Prati (Cagliari);

Forwards: 9 Giuseppe Ambrosino (Frosinone), 11 Tommaso Baldanzi (Roma), 10 Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United), 17 Luca Koleosho (Burnley).

*will join up with the group on 10 June, after the senior team’s fixtures

Staff – Head Coach: Carmine Nunziata; Delegation Head: Giancarlo Antognoni; Coordinator of the Men’s National Youth Teams: Maurizio Viscidi; Team Manager: Gianfranco Serioli; Assistant Coaches: Matteo Brighi and Christian Maggio; Fitness Coaches: Vito Azzone and Luca Coppari; Goalkeeping Coach: Fabrizio Ferron; Match Analyst: Gianluca Mazziotti; Doctors: Daniele Mazza and Vincenzo Santoriello; Nutritionist: Maria Luisa Cravana; Physiotherapists: Tommaso Cannata, Giuliano Gepponi and Nicola Sanna; Secretary: Manfredi Martino.