In Bydgoszcz, Italy qualified for the final 16 of the Under-20 World Cup. Pinamonti’s goal secured a 1-0 win against Ecuador, who despite being a man down caused the Azzurrini problems, with Plizzari having to produce a number of top saves against the South Americans.

Italy came into the match following an opening day win against Mexico, a game they dominated and in which they eventually emerged victorious thanks to goals from Frattesi and Ranieri despite De la Rosa’s equaliser.
Saturday’s match was the first-ever meeting between Ecuador and Italy in this tournament. In their opening game, the South Americans were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw despite taking the lead against Japan. Earlier this year, they won the South American Under-20 Championship despite more prestigious National Teams sich as Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay being involved – a clear sign of the threat they pose.

Head Coach Nicolato went with the same starting 11 that did so well against Mexico: Pinamonti and Scamacca were selected up front in a 3-5-2 formation, while behind them there was a midfield trio of Pellegrini, Frattesi and Esposito with Tripaldelli and Bellanova on the wings. Gabbia, Del Prato and Ranieri lined up in defence in front of goalkeeper Plizzari.

It was a difficult start for Italy, who struggled to deal with Ecuador’s menacing attack. Plizzari had to be on hand to deny Alvalado and then Cifuentes as the South Americans looked to gain the early advantage. However, the Azzurrini responded in fantastic fashion: Pinamonti fired home a splendid goal following Scamacca’s headed lay-off to break the deadlock. This was the Captain’s first goal in this World Cup and it brought more certainty and a sense of calm to the Azzurrini, who weren’t giving a lot away to the opposition.

Following this, there were two key moments that really got pulses racing. The first came in the 41st minute, when Porozo was dismissed by referee Makhadmeh following a VAR check for a poor challenge on Tripaldelli. Ecuador were down to ten men. On the stroke of half-time, the match official decided to point to the spot after another VAR review, with Del Prato being penalised for tugging at Cifuentes’s shirt in the box. However, Plizzari came up trumps and produced a great save to keep out Campana’s spot-kick. The first half thus ended with Italy 1-0 up and with the numerical advantage.

After the break, the match remained even, with the Azzurrini looking to hit Celico’s side on the counter. In the 53rd minute, Scamacca had a go but his attempt was unsuccessful. Ecuador refused to give up and threatened between the 63rd and 65th minute, with the Azzurrini players somehow managing to throw their bodies on the line to keep the South Americans at bay. As the game went on, Nicolato’s side were struggling to get out of their own half. In the 74th minute, Cifuentes had a chance to equalise following a one-two with Campana, but Plizzari got down low to make the save.

In the closing stages, the Azzurrini were feeling the effects of fatigue but eventually managed to close out the match. The final whistle was met with jubilation from Italy, who have now qualified for the final 16 with one game to spare. On Wednesday, first place will be up for grabs as the Azzurrini face Japan. The winner of the group will most likely avoid one of Argentina and Portugal.

“It was a victory achieved through a display of heart,” underlined Nicolato after the match. “It was an honour to face Ecuador. It was a game where we showed a great spirit of sacrifice and one which we perhaps should have killed off earlier. We risked Ecuador getting back into it – they are a great side.” The Head Coach then spoke about Wednesday’s fixture against Japan: “Now, we’ll see how the lads recover. We’re very proud of our six-point haul in such a difficult group.”

Pinamonti also commented on the match: “Ecuador caused us problems, but our strength lies in the group. And today, the group won. We now want to secure first place.”

World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Alessandro Plizzari (Milan), Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Leonardo Loria (Juventus);

Defenders: Luca Pellegrini (Cagliari), Alessandro Buongiorno (Carpi), Alessandro Tripaldelli (Crotone), Luca Ranieri (Foggia), Matteo Gabbia (Lucchese), Raoul Bellanova (Milan), Davide Bettella (Pescara), Antonio Candela (Genoa), Enrico Delprato (Atalanta);

Midfielders: Salvatore Esposito (Ravenna), Davide Frattesi (Ascoli), Domenico Roberto Alberico (Hoffenheim), Andrea Colpani (Atalanta);

Forwards: Gabriele Gori (Livorno), Marco Olivieri (Juventus), Gianluca Scamacca (Sassuolo), Andrea Pinamonti (Frosinone), Christian Capone (Pescara).

Staff – Delegation Head: Massimo Paganin; National Teams Co-ordinator Maurizio Viscidi; Head Coach: Paolo Nicolato; Assistant Coach: Mirco Gasparetto; Secretary: Fabio Ferappi; Fitness Coach: Vincenzo Pincolini; Goalkeeping Coach: Matteo Mareggini; Match Analyst: Francesco Bordin; Doctors: Matteo Vitali and Luca Labianca; Physiotherapists: Nicola Sanna and Andrea Mangino; Nutritionist: Alessio Colli.

World Cup groups

Group A: Poland, Colombia, Tahiti, Senegal
Group B: Mexico, ITALY, Japan, Ecuador
Group C: Honduras, New Zealand, Uruguay, Norway
Group D: Qatar, Nigeria, Ukraine, United States of America
Group E: Panama, Mali, France, Saudi Arabia
Group F: Portugal, South Korea, Argentina, South Africa

Group B fixtures and results (all times CEST)

Matchday One (23 May)

18:00: ITALY 2-1 Mexico
20:30: Japan 1-1 Ecuador

Matchday Two (26 May)

15:30: Mexico 0-3 Japan
18:00: Ecuador 0-1 ITALY 

Standings: ITALY 6 points, Japan 4, Ecuador 1, Mexico 0

Matchday Three (29 May)

18:00: Ecuador vs. Mexico (Gdynia)
18:00: ITALY vs. Japan (Bydgoszcz)

N.B. The top two from each group plus the four best third-placed teams will qualify for the last 16