Italy’s Under-21 side fought back with a Matteo Cancellieri brace, but ended the game with nine men in a 4-2 friendly defeat to Germany with Udinese’s Lazar Samardzic on target.
It was difficult to play at the Stadio Del Conero in Ancona, as a thunderstorm and strong winds left the pitch extremely muddy. There were two Serie A players in the starting XI for Germany, Udinese forward Samardzic and Milan defender Malick Thiaw.
Lorenzo Colombo saw his header palmed out for a corner, but Giorgio Cittadini went in too soft for the tackle and allowed Denis Huseinbasic to beat Marco Carnesecchi from six yards one-on-one.
Udinese forward Samardzic doubled Germany’s lead with a ferocious free kick into the near top corner.
The Azzurrini had the chances, but not the good fortune or clinical edge, as a Raoul Bellanova header was cleared off the line and Colombo came sliding in to meet Nicolò Cambiaghi’s low cross only to scuff it into the arms of the goalkeeper.
Instead, Kevin Schade showed how it’s done with a clinical finish for 3-0.
Italy did get one back with Lazio winger Matteo Cancellieri, who came off the bench to juggle a loose ball in the box and fire in on the volley with his weaker right foot.
Cancellieri scored again under driving rain, thumping it first time with the left boot from just inside the box.
Just as the Azzurrini were pushing to equalise, Lorenzo Pirola lost the ball to spark a counter and Cittadini simply had to see red for literally hanging on to Maurice Malone’s jersey and getting dragged along like a sled.
Things deteriorated even more when Inter’s Bellanova received a second yellow card for using his hand to deflect a free kick over the bar as part of the defensive wall, allowing Malone to squirm the penalty under Carnesecchi.
Italy 2-4 Germany
Huseinbasic 23 (G), Samardzic 51 (G), Schade 55 (G), Cancellieri 65, 73 (I), Malone pen 87 (G)
Italy U21: Carnesecchi; Pirola, Cittadini, Ruggeri (Volpato 71) (Casadei 89); Bellanova, Rovella (Terracciano 89), Salvatore Esposito (Ranocchia 71), Quagliata; Cambiaghi (Cancellieri 59) (Viti 90), Vignato (Bove 59); Colombo (Lucca 59)
Germany U21: Atubolu; Fischer (Beyer 60), Bisseck (Dardai 60), Thiaw, Katterbach (Netz 75); Huseinbasic (Stiller 75), Keitel (Martel 75), Krauss (Bauer 75); Schade (Khadra 81), Thielmann (Weisshaupt 60), Samardzic (Malone 75)
Sent off: Cittadini 85 (I), Bellanova 86 (I)
plenty of talents in this game.
i suppose italy has now most of talented players in europe.
i’m guessing italy will win world cup 2026 big time.