The Italy U19 national team has been officially eliminated from the UEFA European Under-19 Championship following a narrow 1-0 defeat against Ukraine in their final group stage fixture. A spectacular first-half strike from Ukraine's talisman Olychenko proved to be the decisive blow, leaving the Azzurrini unable to progress further in the tournament.
// RELATED STORIES
Enjoying this article?
Get even more captivating stories by subscribing to our newsletter. It's free!
Subscribe Sekarang →According to reports from tuttosport.com, head coach Alberto Bollini opted for a tactical shift by starting Elimoghale from the first minute to complete an attacking trident alongside Coletta and Iddrissou. The Juventus youngster, Elimoghale, showed immense energy early on, nearly breaking the deadlock with a powerful long-range effort just five minutes into the encounter.
Italy completely dominated the initial exchanges and came agonizingly close to opening the scoring in the 30th minute. A brilliant free-kick delivered by Marello beat the Ukrainian wall but unfortunately rattled the crossbar before going out of play. Despite Italy's territorial dominance, it was Ukraine who broke the deadlock against the run of play just moments later.
In a sensational individual effort, Olychenko received the ball on the left flank, skillfully nutmegged Italian defender Natali, and cut inside before unleashing an unstoppable shot into the top corner past goalkeeper Pessina. The Azzurrini tried to respond immediately before the halftime whistle, with Iddrissou sending a promising header narrowly wide of the target.
Based on editorial monitoring of the second half, Alberto Bollini's side threw everything forward in a desperate search for an equalizer. Iddrissou missed another significant opportunity in the 59th minute as his header missed the mark. Italy's ultimate double chance arrived in the 81st minute when Natali's deflected long-range strike was brilliantly parried by Marchenko, who then miraculously blocked Coletta's immediate rebound from close range.
Observation from the editorial team indicates that despite a relentless late forcing from the Azzurrini, Ukraine's defensive block held firm until the final whistle. The 1-0 defeat leaves Italy with four points in Group B, matching Croatia's tally. However, Croatia secured a spot in the semi-finals alongside Ukraine due to a superior goal difference, following their convincing 3-0 victory over Serbia in the simultaneous fixture.