Under 21 Italy-Serbia 2-0, brace from Mulattieri

Italy commands, above all scores, finally. Mulattieri brace in the second half and Serbia flat. But if the Under 21s were looking for directions to expand the group, the best ones came from Tommaso Baldanzi, the best with Salvatore Esposito, who is a permanent starter for this national team, the only one lined up from the start. As expected, Nicolato puts in all the “new” players, or in any case the less used and younger players, also because up front is a Serbia that failed to qualify for the European Championship and is already presenting itself with training for the next two years, therefore with all born from 2002 onwards. Even among the Azzurrini there are two 2003s: Casadei and above all Baldanzi, like Zapelli on his debut with the Under 21. The Empoli talent, the youngest in the company, immediately proves to be in another category. He moves from second striker between the lines, receives on the edge of the area, goes to shoot. The five conclusions of the first half are all by him. In the 4th minute he receives on the edge of the area and kicks, deflected by Djuric. In the 6th minute Zapelli serves him in the area, Baldanzi passes Djuric in the tunnel with a touch and then closes with his right foot wide. In the 10th minute, a close combination between Esposito and Tommaso on the edge of the area, a cross left footed on which Filip Stankovic, the Serbian goalkeeper son of Dejan, extends And again: in the 18th minute, throw for Pierozzi, excellent on the right, inside for Baldanzi blocked by Djuric, in the 23rd minute it was instead Casadei who served the Empoli player, stop and central shot, rejected by Stankovic. You play in one half of the pitch, with the pressure lightened only by a cross from the other Stankovic, Nikola, for the head of Ratko, weak and central. In the 40th minute Italy protested, and rightly so: Pierozzi overtook Micic who touched him in the area so clearly on his foot that he took off his shoe and broke it. The (Serbian) referee Minakovic blows nothing. Blue domination, but 0-0 after a time. The usual flaw: we don’t score.

Shooting

—

The concreteness appears in the second half, which begins with Zanoli for Pierozzi and Parisi for Gallo. The volume of the game remains full-bodied and finally finds an outlet. Carboni takes more courage in building on the center-right and the advantage angle was born from an initiative of his. Esposito kicks, Carboni touches in the area and stretches towards the far post where Mulattieri appears and sniffs the good ball: head and goal. Italy continues to push and in the same situation, from Espo’s corner, Carboni hits the crossbar with his head. Oristanio enters for Zapelli – good debut, with a blocked shot at the start of the second half – and in the 22nd minute he doubles up. Long outflanking action until Zanoli’s low cross from the right, Mulattieri in the tackle anticipates Drezgic and puts in Stankovic. A free-kick by Esposito just wide deserves the 3-0, like a couple of incursions by Parisi in the final, one intercepted by Stankovic and the other with a left foot into the outside net.