Match Report
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Artur Granado (5')
Maurizio Sentimenti (48')
Marcello Mariniello (21')
| Portugal Under-21 | Italy Under-21 | ||
| Formation | 5-2-3_v11  | 3-2-5_v2 | |
| Style | Neutral / Short Passing | Defensive / Short Passing | |
| Offside Trap | No | No | |
| Tackling | Normal | Hard | |
| Pressing | Low | High | |
| Counter Attack | No | Yes | |
| One-on-Ones | No | No | |
| Marking | Man to Man | Man to Man | |
| High Balls | Yes | Yes | |
| Keeping Style | Not Defined | Not Defined | |
| First Time Shots | Yes | Yes | |
| Long Shots | Yes | Yes | |
| Possession | 56% | 44% | |
| Shots | 10 | 2 | |
| Shots on Goal | 7 | 1 | |
| Effectiveness | 40% | 0% | |
| Short Passes (%) | 45% | 21% | |
| Long Passes (%) | 55% | 79% | |
| Fouls | 34 | 28 | |
| Comment |
| A crowd of 52000 arrived at the stadium (with a full capacity of 52000 terraces) to see Portugal Under-21 - Italy Under-21! These are some great conditions for football as the sun shines in the sky! The players of Portugal Under-21 seem to be successfully using their first-time shots ability. The players of Portugal Under-21 are in general not as fast as their opponents, and they seem to be not taking advantage of the good pitch conditions. The players of Portugal Under-21 are able to use their long shots ability. The time is now 5 minutes, when Emílio Gamboa makes the supporters of Portugal Under-21 jump out of their chairs, when showing great style he dribbles past two defenders. When another one gets in his way, he passes to Artur Granado who races clear to the goal... Artur Granado shoots the ball, which amazingly hits the post, deflects across the goal line, hits the other post and goes in. Strange goal for Portugal Under-21! The result is now 1-0. Following their manager's signal, the players from Portugal Under-21 are now dropping back in the field of play. Even though they continue with the same style, Italy Under-21 tries to play in a different way. The players of Italy Under-21 are able to use their long shots ability. 9 minutes, Joaquim Bilro recovers the ball in the opponent's midfield, and with a magnificent pass manages to play João Silva clear who, in front of the goalkeeper, manages to take the ball out of his reach and with a simple touch scores. A subtle goal! The result is now 2-0. Another play at 13 minutes, Joaquim Bilro recovers the ball and dribbles around one, another, and yet another defender before passing the ball to João Silva... João Silva under pressure from the defense, shoots straight into the hands of Giulio Dessena. The keeper really made a meal out of that! He just barely manages to safely grab the ball after dropping it the first time…unbelievable! Next, at 21 minutes, Marcello Mariniello will have to leave the pitch as he fell pretty hard after that last challenge. Italy Under-21 brings on Maurizio Sentimenti to take his place. After 25 minutes, Joaquim Bilro makes the supporters of Portugal Under-21 jump out of their chairs, when showing great style he dribbles past two defenders. When another one gets in his way, he passes to Celino Cerejeira who races clear to the goal... Celino Cerejeira tries to shoot, but Giulio Dessena opposes him very well and makes a great save. Another play at 29 minutes, Celino Cerejeira combines with Joaquim Bilro... Celino Cerejeira gets around one opponent but he's tackled by a second in the name of Marcello Alteri, who sends the ball out for a corner kick. 39 minutes are counted, Joaquim Bilro makes the supporters of Portugal Under-21 jump out of their chairs, when showing great style he dribbles past two defenders. When another one gets in his way, he passes to Celino Cerejeira who races clear to the goal... Celino Cerejeira shoots the ball, which amazingly hits the post, deflects across the goal line, hits the other post and goes in. Strange goal for Portugal Under-21! 3-0! Half time is here, and both sides are happy for the short break. The result is 3-0. The statistics are pretty clear in terms of ball possession: the home side dominated with 64%, while Italy Under-21 held it much less with only 36% possession. At this moment the result is fitting for what we saw in the first-half. The time is now 51 minutes, when Maurizio Tuccia passes to Giulio Torino, who hits it first time home... but António Paixão tips the ball out for a corner kick! Brilliant save by António Paixão which avoided what could have been a goal for Italy Under-21. The marking style applied by Italy Under-21's players is working very well today. With such a big advantage, the attacking plays of Portugal Under-21 seem to have been reduced somewhat. The players now look like they are just playing on to enjoy the time left and to soak in the atmosphere of the crowd. The pressing made by the players of Portugal Under-21 seems to be working alright. Their opponents show some problems when they try to pass the ball among themselves. Despite continuing to play in the same style, Portugal Under-21 seems to be trying to pass in a different way. Portugal Under-21 makes its first substitution at 60 minutes. Joaquim Bilro gives his place to Paulo Corte-Real. At 60 minutes, Portugal Under-21 seems to be changing something with its second substitution. Filipe Monteiro replaces Artur Granado. The marking style applied by Portugal Under-21's players is working very well today. Two players from Portugal Under-21 seem to be switching their positions on the field: Paulo Corte-Real changes with Filipe Monteiro. 64 minutes according to the clock, Filipe Monteiro makes the supporters of Portugal Under-21 jump out of their chairs, when showing great style he dribbles past two defenders. When another one gets in his way, he passes to Celino Cerejeira who races clear to the goal... Celino Cerejeira tries to shoot, but Giulio Dessena opposes him very well and makes a great save. 74 minutes, Filipe Monteiro recovers the ball in the opponent's midfield, and with a magnificent pass manages to play Celino Cerejeira clear who, in front of the goalkeeper, manages to take the ball out of his reach and with a simple touch scores. A subtle goal! The result is now 4-0. Despite continuing to play in the same style, Portugal Under-21 seems to be trying to pass in a different way. After that last goal, it's easy to notice that the forwards of Portugal Under-21 are just waiting for the final whistle. There is not much to say about this game. The players of Portugal Under-21 ended the first 45' with a large score and managed to keep that advantage until the end of the match. |
