UNDER 16, AIMING TO REACH THE SEMIS

They’ve been in lockstep the entire season, facing the same opponents almost every weekend. Now, they find themselves at the same stage of the National Finals. Just like Roberto Bertuzzo’s U15s, Ignazio Abate’s U16s are just 90 minutes away from the semi-finals, which they can qualify for this weekend.

Indeed, the young Rossoneri will face Monza at Vismara tomorrow having won the first leg 4-2 at Monzello last week. It means that the team are in a healthy position, but they mustn’t underestimate the challenge that awaits against a side that fought Juventus all the way in the race to finish top of Group A.

A key player in the first fixture was Luca Martinazzi, who scored a brilliant hat-trick (defender Matteo Tezzele netted the other). The Rossoneri were the only side to record an away victory in the first-leg quarter-final clashes: the other matches finished Vicenza 3-1 Fiorentina, Roma 1-0 Lazio and Sassuolo 1-1 Juventus.

For Coach Abate, who is enjoying his first-ever season as a coach, reaching the semi-finals would be a fantastic achievement. This is what he had to say on the eve of the game: "We’ll be up against a side who have excellent technical qualities. They’re a strong team and it’ll be a difficult game, but we’ll be ready. The lads don’t want to give an inch. A battle awaits, and we need to approach it well from a mental perspective and play well on a technical level. We deserve to continue this adventure and are full of belief."

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