U19 European Championship: Italy open with impressive 2-0 victory over Serbia
Quick summary
Italy's U19 team began their European Championship campaign with a convincing 2-0 win over Serbia in their opening match.
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Attributed to original sourceItaly have started the European Under-19 Championship in Wales on the right foot, defeating Serbia 2-0 thanks to goals from Mattia Liberali and Jamal Iddrissou.
The Azzurrini are among the favourites for the tournament and opened up Group B, where they will then take on Croatia on July 2 and Ukraine on July 5.
Milan youth product Liberali, currently playing for Catanzaro in Serie B, drew the foul and then converted the early penalty after just 11 minutes.
There were a few scares on set plays, but Italy still came closest to a second goal when Coletta smacked his effort against the crossbar.
Iddrissou secured the 2-0 result at the 76 th minute when completing a rapid counter-attack assisted by substitute Javison Idele.
Luck was on the side of coach Alberto Bollini when Vasilije Novicic’s free kick hit the frame of the goal moments later.
CAERNARFON, WALES – JUNE 29: Jamal Iddrissou of Italy scores his team’s second goal during the UEFA European Under-19 Championship 2026 match between Italy and Serbia on June 29, 2026 in Caernarfon, Wales. (Photo by Jess Hornby/Getty Images) Italy 2-0 Serbia Liberali pen 11 (I), Iddrissou 76 (I)
Italy: Pessina; Nardin, Natali, Verde, Cocchi (Marello 89); Liberali (Mantini 70), Sala, Comotto (Elimoghale 70); Coletta, Iddrissou, Mosconi (Idele 61)
Serbia: Carapic; Stojkovic, Hadzimujovic, Simic, S Petrovic; Novicic, Makevic (Rankovic 58), Milosavljevic; B Kostic (Zaric 58), Damjanovic (Borovina 73), Ciric (Subotic 73)
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What happened
Italy's U19 side started their U19 European Championship campaign on a strong note, defeating Serbia 2-0 in their opening group-stage fixture. The victory gives Italy an early advantage in the group and boosts confidence ahead of subsequent matches. The performance was described as impressive, suggesting tactical preparation and strong individual contributions from the young Azzurri squad.
Chance analysis
A winning start in a group-stage opener at a youth tournament is a positive signal for Italy's development pathway, but U19 European Championships are early-round events with limited predictive value for senior-level outcomes. The result matters primarily for team morale and tournament standing rather than immediate betting or transfer implications.
Boosts Italy U19's standing in the group and squad morale, but has negligible impact on the senior national team or club-level decision-making.
Group-stage youth tournament opener with no direct impact on senior team predictions; useful only for tracking emerging Italian youth prospects.