Under-21 Euro: Italy in contention after Belgium win, Poland out

The fate of Italy’s U21 side hangs in the balance. After a 3-1 win (Barella 44, Cutrone 53, Verschaeren 78, Chiesa 89) over Belgium last night, the best hope for Gigi Di Biagio’s side is that they make it through to the semi finals of the European Under-21 Championship as the best second-placed team. Should they make it through, the Italian side would also be guaranteed a slot to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. One team certain to compete in Japan is Spain, who outclassed Poland with a 5-0 win – thanks to goals from Fornals, Oyazarbal, Fabian Ruiz, Ceballos and Mayoral – and eliminated their opponents.

Of the three Blucerchiati players – Emil Audero, Federico Bonazzoli and David Kownacki – named in their respective squads, only Bonazzoli enjoyed some game time, replacing Lorenzo Pellegrini with 11 minutes of Italy’s match to play.