The dream of winning a medal may be over, but Dakar 2026 will nevertheless go down as an unforgettable chapter in Italian futsal history. Upon their Olympic debut, Sebastiano Giuffrida's Under-18 national team finished just outside the medals at the Youth Olympic Games after a 5-2 defeat to Iran in the bronze medal match. The scoreline does not tell the full story of a contest in which captain Moro gave Italy a dream start before Iran fought back in the second half. The Azzurrine may have missed out on a medal, but they leave Senegal with renewed confidence in the future of Italian futsal.

FIRST HALF. Italy started with Ginocchio, Moro, Caiello, Zappia and Melfi. It was a cagey opening, although Amirmohseni threatened early on, bursting through the Italian defence before Ginocchio came off her line to deny her. The Italian goalkeeper was called into action again shortly afterwards, keeping out Rezaei's free kick heading towards the top corner before also denying Rahmani from another set piece. Iran looked the more dangerous side, but in futsal, the momentum can shift in an instant. Italy proved just that through captain Moro, who struck twice in two minutes, in the 14th and 16th minutes, finding the gap to beat Shokran to her left on both occasions. However, the 2-0 lead lasted just 30 seconds. Iran pulled one back on the counter-attack following an unfortunate deflection off Melfi, then went close to equalising twice before the break.

SECOND HALF. Giuffrida's side struggled after the restart. Ginocchio immediately produced an excellent save to deny Amirmohseni, who had broken through on the left, but was beaten by Bagheri's long-range effort in the third minute. Buoyed by the equaliser, Iran stepped up the pressure and completed the comeback through Rezaei, who was perfectly placed to turn the ball home at the far post in the sixth minute. Bagheri then struck again from distance to make it 4-2 in the seventh. Italy struggled to respond and did not threaten again until Gallus went close in the 12th minute. That same minute, Giuffrida decided to deploy Lo Stocco as a flying goalkeeper. However, during a flying substitution involving Negri, who had replaced Ginocchio, Bagheri struck again in the 15th minute to complete her hat-trick and make it 5-2. The Azzurrine pushed forward in the closing minutes, but the score remained unchanged. Iran celebrated bronze, while Italy left Dakar with their heads held high, having secured a fourth-place finish that provides a solid foundation for the next generation of Italian futsal.

IRAN 5-2 ITALY (HT: 1-2)

Iran: Shokrani, Bagheri, Yari, Rezaei, Amirmohseni, Nikbakht, Mohammadi, Rahmani, Zare, Hosseinipour. Coach: Sharif

Italy: Ginocchio, Moro, Caiello, Melfi, Zappia. Subs.: Negri, Lo Stocco, Taccetti, Gallus, Do Amaral. Coach: Giuffrida

Goals: First half: 14’ and 16’ Moro (ITA), 16’ Melfi (own goal, IRN); Second half: 3’ Bagheri (IRN), 6’ Rezaei (IRN), 7’ and 15’ Bagheri (IRN)

Referees: Sanchez (Argentina), Angelo (Brazil), Mickoska (Serbia), Tursun (Turkey). Timekeeper: Chihaoui (Algeria)

Youth Olympic Games, Dakar 2026

Group A: Senegal, Fiji, Venezuela, Ukraine

Group B: Italy, Cameroon, Costa Rica, Iran

Group B fixtures and results

Matchday 1, Sunday 1 November

Costa Rica 0-3 Iran
Italy 4-2 Cameroon

Matchday 2, Tuesday 3 November

Italy 4-1 Costa Rica
Iran 5-3 Cameroon

Matchday 3, Thursday 5 November

Iran 3-1 Italy
Cameroon 7-0 Costa Rica

Group B standings

Iran 9 PTS, Italy 6 PTS, Cameroon 3 PTS, Costa Rica 0 PTS

Group A standings

Ukraine 8 PTS, Venezuela 6 PTS, Senegal 3 PTS, Fiji 0 PTS

Knockout stages

Semi-finals, Sunday 8 November

Iran 2-3 Venezuela (AET)
Ukraine 3-1 Italy

Finals, Wednesday 11 November

Bronze medal match: Iran 5-2 Italy
Gold medal match: Venezuela vs. Ukraine, 4:30 PM CET