A win against Northern Ireland U19 will allow Bernardo Corradi’s Italy to progress to the European Championship semi-finals with a game to spare and qualify for the 2025 U20 World Cup.
Italy U19 won their opening game in the U19 Euros earlier this week, beating Norway 2-1.
This evening, they’ll face host country Northern Ireland at 20:00 CET (18:00 GMT). A win would not only allow them to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition but also to get a spot in the U20 World Cup, which will be played in 2025.
“I told the lads that there is no better thing than having the destiny in our hands,” Corradi told the FIGC official website.
“It all depends on us. Even if we will already know the result of Norway-Ukraine, we must be accustomed to high-level performances. We must try not to concede goals and kill off the game.”
Ukraine and Northern Ireland collected a 0-0 draw in their Euro U19 debut on Monday, so the Azzurri are the current group leaders after their win over Norway.
“It was a tough game, as we expected,” said Corradi.
“We knew we had to be on par in terms of competitive spirit and add our tactical knowledge and our technical skills.”
Under-19 Euro: Where to watch Italy games on TV and streaming