Italy Under-21 beat Piacenza 4-2 in a friendly test, but Coach Gigi Di Biagio saw “positives and negatives.”
The Azzurrini are warming up for their European Championship qualifier against Belgium on October 14.
Italy Under-21 beat Piacenza 4-2 in a friendly test, but Coach Gigi Di Biagio saw “positives and negatives.”
The Azzurrini are warming up for their European Championship qualifier against Belgium on October 14.
They used a 4-4-2 system and had gone behind, but Inter-owned centre-forward Samuele Longo drew level within 60 seconds.
Italy went 2-1 down before the break, though Daniele Baselli, Federico Viviani and Riccardo Improta turned it all around in the second half for a 4-2 victory.
“There were both positives and negatives from this test,” said Di Biagio. “This is what we needed against a prestigious side, even if they are in Serie D.
“We suffered in the first half, as there was too much space between defence and midfield. We ran a lot, but inefficiently. We certainly have to play better and are all aware of the things we need to work on.”
Italy 4-2 Piacenza
Scorers: Martino 12 (P), Longo 13 (I), Marrazzo 35 (P), Baselli 66 (I), Viviani 71 (I), Improta 85 (I)
Italy U21: Bardi; Zappacosta (Sabelli 61), Bianchetti (Ceccherini 77), Antei (Rugani 61), Biraghi (Zampano 69); Molina (Improta 46), Baselli (Verre 69), Battocchio (Viviani 46), Fedato (Grifo 46); Longo (Fossati 73), Belotti (Rozzi 61)