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After helping Parma avoid relegation during a six-month loan from Manchester United, striker Giuseppe Rossi has been included in Pierluigi Casiraghi's Italy squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Netherlands.
However, fellow forward Nicola Pozzi, whose five goals pushed Empoli towards UEFA Cup qualification, failed to make the cut.
Rossi, 20, scored nine goals in 19 Serie A games after joining Parma in January, following a less successful loan to Newcastle United.
Giampaolo Pazzini, Raffaele Palladino and Graziano Pelle complete the list of attackers.
Meanwhile, Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani and Cagliari defender Michele Canini did enough in the last weeks of the Serie A season to convince Casiraghi they have overcome the serious injuries that marred their campaigns.[U-21 Euro 2007 Championship Finals Schedule]
Italy squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluca Curci (Roma), Andrea Consigli (Sambenedettese), Emiliano Viviano (Brescia).
Defenders: Marco Andreolli (Inter), Michele Canini (Cagliari), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Coda (Udinese), Domenico Criscito (Genoa), Andrea Mantovani (Chievo), Alessandro Potenza (Fiorentina), Andrea Raggi (Empoli).
Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani (Roma), Luca Cigarini (Parma), Daniele Dessena (Parma), Andrea Lazzari (Piacenza), Riccardo Montolivo (Fiorentina), Antonio Nocerino (Piacenza), Simone Padoin (Vicenza), Alessandro Rosina (Torino).Forwards: Raffaele Palladino (Juventus), Giampaolo Pazzini (Fiorentina), Graziano Pelle (Cesena), Giuseppe Rossi (Parma).England squadGoalkeepers: Ben Alnwick (Tottenham Hotspur), Scott Carson (Liverpool), Joe Hart (Manchester City).
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Wigan Athletic), Gary Cahill (Aston Villa), Anton Ferdinand (West Ham United), Justin Hoyte (Arsenal), Nedum Onuoha (Manchester City), Liam Rosenior (Fulham), Steven Taylor (Newcastle United), Peter Whittingham (Cardiff City).
Midfielders: David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers), Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham Hotspur), James Milner (Newcastle United), Mark Noble (West Ham United), Nigel Reo-Coker (West Ham United), Kieran Richardson (Manchester United), Wayne Routledge (Tottenham Hotspur).Forwards: Matt Derbyshire (Blackburn Rovers), Leroy Lita (Reading), David Nugent (Preston North End), James Vaughan (Everton), Ashley Young (Aston Villa).Serbia squadGoalkeepers: Damir Kahriman (Vojvodina), Igor Stefanovic (Zemun), Aleksandar Kesic (Mladost Apatin).
Defenders: Nemanja Rnic (Partizan), Branislav Ivanovic (Lokomotiv Moskva), Dusko Tosic (Sochaux), Gojko Kacar (Vojvodina), Aleksandar Kolarov (Beograd), Nikola Petkovic (Vojvodina), Slobodan Rajkovic (Beograd), Antonio Rukavina (Partizan), Dusan Basta (Crvena Zvezda).
Midfielders: Milos Krasic (CSKA Moskva), Nikola Drincic (Amkar Perm), Bosko Jankovic (Mallorca), Zoran Tosic (Banat Zrenjanin), Milan Smiljanic (Partizan), Djordje Ivelja (Beograd), Predrag Pavlovic (Napredak Krusevac), Dejan Milovanovic (Crvena Zvezda), Stefan Babovic (Beograd).
Forwards: Djordje Rakic (Beograd), Dragan Mrdja (Lierse).Czech Republic squadGoalkeepers: Josef Kubasek (Banik Sokolov), Milan Svenger (Zenit Caslav), Zdenek Zlamal (Zlin).
Defenders: Roman Hubnik (Moskva), Michal Kadlec (Sparta Praha), Josef Kaufman (Teplice), Jiri Kladrubsky (Dynamo Ceske Budejovice), Martin Klein (Teplice), Milan Kopic (Mlada Boleslav), Martin Latka (Slavia Praha).
Midfielders: Tomas Jirsak (Teplice), Frantisek Rajtoral (Baník Ostrava), Mario Holek (Brno), Lubos Husek (Sparta Praha), Daniel Pudil (Slovan Liberec), Michal Svec (Slavia Praha), Daniel Kolar (Sparta Praha).
Forwards: Jan Blazek (Slovan Liberec), Martin Fillo (Viktoria Plzen), Jan Holenda (Dynamo Ceske Budejovice), Michal Papadopulos (Bayer Leverkusen), Jan Kysela (Mlada Boleslav), Tomas Krbecek (Viktoria Plzen).
Having scored twice in the Champions League final, Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi has been recalled to the Italy squad for the first time since October ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania.
The 33-year-old has registered 22 goals in 53 games for the Azzurri but has not played for his country since the 2-0 win against Ukraine on 7 October.Coach Roberto Donadoni has also rewarded forwards Cristiano Lucarelli and Tommaso Rocchi, who boast 20 and 16 Serie A goals for Livorno and Lazio respectively this season, with call-ups into his 23-man squad while 25-year-old defender Alessandro Gamberini, whose Fiorentina side had the best defensive record in Serie A, is the only uncapped player involved.Italy are fourth in Group B with ten points from five matches, two behind France, Ukraine and Scotland. They play the Faroes in Torshavn on 2 June before travelling to Kaunas to meet Lithuania four days later.
The squad will meet at the Coverciano training camp in Florence on Tuesday morning for two days of training, before travelling to the Faroe Islands on Thursday afternoon.
The Azzurri will return to Italy after Saturday’s match and will train in Milan before flying to Lithuania on June 5.
Italy Squad:
Goalkeepers: Christian Abbiati (Torino), Marco Amelia (Livorno), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus).
Defenders: Andrea Barzagli (Palermo), Fabio Cannavaro (Real Madrid), Alessandro Gamberini (Fiorentina), Marco Materazzi (Inter), Massimo Oddo (Milan), Manuel Pasqual (Fiorentina), Max Tonetto (Roma), Gianluca Zambrotta (Barcelona).
Midfielders: Massimo Ambrosini (Milan), Daniele De Rossi (Roma), Aimo Diana (Palermo), Gennaro Gattuso (Milan), Simone Perrotta (Roma), Andrea Pirlo (Milan).
Forwards: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Antonio Di Natale (Udinese), Filippo Inzaghi (Milan), Cristiano Lucarelli (Livorno), Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Tommaso Rocchi (Lazio).Group B Fixtures:Saturday 2 June 2007Faroes Islands v ItalyLithuania v GeorgiaFrance v UkraineWednesday 6 June 2007France v GeorgiaLithuania v ItalyFaroe Islands v Scotland
Italian Under-21 boss Pierluigi Casiraghi has named his squad for their opening Euro 2009 qualifier with Albania.
The youngsters will begin their campaign in Pontedera on June 1 in a group which also consists of Croatia, Greece, Azerbaijan and the Faroe Islands.
The 2009 Finals will be hosted by Sweden, who qualify automatically, while the 10 group winners and four best second-placed sides will qualify for the play-offs set for October 2008.
Casiraghi therefore has to start a new cycle with players born after January 1, 1986 and will meet the squad on Tuesday for a three-day training camp.
Parma and Juventus are the most represented clubs with three players each, followed by Treviso with two.
The Azzurrini have also qualified for the final phase of this year’s tournament, which will take place from June 10 to June 23 in the Netherlands. Casiraghi has named a preliminary squad of 30 players, which will be cut to 23 by May 30. Italy play their first match on June 11 against Serbia and will then play England and the Czech Republic on June 14 and 17.
Squad for Albania:Goalkeepers: Consigli (Sambenedettese), Sirigu (Palermo).
Defenders: Belmonte (Bari), Bocchetti (Frosinone), Criscito (Genoa), Marzoratti (Empoli), Motta (Udinese), Rickler (Chievo), M. Rossi (Modena).
Midfielders: Cigarini (Parma), Candreva (Ternana), De Ceglie (Juventus), De Martino (Udinese), Dessena (Parma), Marchisio (Juventus), Paonessa (Vicenza), Russotto (Treviso).
Forwards: Acquafresca (Treviso), Giovinco (Juventus), Lupoli (Derby County), G. Rossi (Parma).
Italy 0-1 Ukraine (Maniago)Ukraine reached their first UEFA European Under-17 Championship final tournament in three years in style after a dramatic defeat of Elite round Group 2 hosts Italy.
Leading the Azzurrini on goal difference at kick-off, with both sides having beaten the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Ukraine only needed a draw in today's decider.It seemed that they would hold on for that point, but two minutes into added time Ukraine were able to achieve a maximum haul thanks to a goal from Dimytro Korkishko, who on Monday struck a hat-trick against the Czech Republic in a 5-2 success.Ukraine now go into Wednesday's draw in Brussels and will be in the finals in Belgium from 2-13 May.
28 March 2007: Italy 2-0 Scotland (Bari)
World champions Italy moved within two points of the Group B summit as Luca Toni's two goals earned them a deserved 2-0 win over Scotland in Bari.
After taking just one point from their first two Euro 2008 qualifiers, Roberto Donadoni's team have got back on track with three successive victories – this latest one against a Scotland side who started the day top of the section and ended it still level on 12 points with Ukraine and France.
Italy had won all five previous home meetings with Scotland, and it took them only 12 minutes to make the breakthrough as Massimo Oddo sent a free-kick into the box and Toni got in front of Lee McCulloch and headed into the left-hand corner of the net. It was not as though Scotland had not been warned, Toni having sent a header sailing wide in the fifth minute.
Though Scotland began poorly, they recovered well after falling behind albeit without creating any clear-cut chances. Lee McCulloch fired a half-volley straight at Buffon and on the stroke of half-time, lone striker Kenny Miller narrowly failed to make a clean connection with a far-post header from Gary Naysmith's cross.
If Scotland went into the interval with cause for optimism, they were up against it once the action resumed. In the 49th minute Mauro Camoranesi sent Antonio Di Natale clean through down the inside-left channel but Craig Gordon made a fine one-handed save. Two minutes later Di Natale raced through again and the impressive Gordon denied him once more, this time sticking out his left foot to turn the ball away.
A blue wave kept rolling towards the Scotland goal, Toni nodding past the far post then driving a shot straight at Gordon. Finally, on 70 minutes, the Fiorentina forward struck again, getting on the end of Camoranesi's right-wing cross with a header down and into the back of the net for his 12th international goal.Toni's double means the Azzurri can look ahead to their June visits to the Faroe Islands and Lithuania with renewed optimism, while the Faroes is also the next stop for Scotland, on 6 June.Italy: Buffon; Oddo, Materazzi, Cannavaro, Zambrotta; Gattuso, De Rossi; Camoranesi, Perrotta (Pirlo 77), Di Natale (Del Piero 66); Toni (Quagliarella 87).Scotland: Gordon, Alexander, McManus, Weir, Naysmith, Teale (Maloney 66), Brown (Beattie 86), Ferguson, Hartley, McCulloch (Boyd 81), Miller.
Referee: De Bleeckere (Bel).
Reaction:Roberto Donadoni refused to class the win over Scotland as a response to his many critics in the Italian media. "It was a good performance and we got the result we were after. We cannot really ask for more than that," said the coach.
He had been under intense pressure after sliding to fourth place in Group B and it was believed anything less than a win tonight would see him sacked. So Luca Toni’s brace in Bari could be a turning point in Donadoni’s tenure.
"I think back to the games against Georgia and Lithuania. If we had won the latter, as we deserved to, then we would be in a different position," he noted of that 1-1 draw in Naples. "In any case, let us celebrate this victory and not look back to other encounters."
Donadoni used a 4-2-3-1 system and all except Antonio Di Natale were World Cup winners in the starting XI. "We must all remember how wonderful the players were today and the fans helped us. When you are dealing with players like this, the answers come automatically."
Luca Toni assures Italy are not struggling in qualifying for the Euro 2008 Finals. "We had to win at all costs considering the results of the other teams in the group. It was a good performance and we won deservedly," he said.
"We are catching up on that lost ground and have proved we are still an excellent team. We all want to go to the European Championships and will do everything we can to get there," added Toni.
"This is a squad that feels very united and together, so the bond keeps on growing after the World Cup and the coach is part of that. Over the next two games we need to pick up six points. The other teams are in front, so we have to catch up by beating Lithuania and the Faroe Islands in June.”
Azzurri captain Fabio Cannavaro admits there were problems at the start of Donadoni’s reign, but assures they are getting back to their old selves. "After some initial difficulties the coach did well to bring the group back together and give us new motivation. But we are not qualified yet and must maintain this same concentration all the way until the end of the Group," said the defender.
"It is only normal that the coach has a difficult role to fill and a lot of pressure. We all exchange opinions with him, but in the end he makes his decisions and we respect them.
"It is a very tough Group, but we have to focus on ourselves. It’s no good to start watching what the others do and making calculations."
The players bitterly protested against the treatment Donadoni was subjected to by the local media in the run-up to this crunch match and Cannavaro laughed off suggestions it all helped to motivate the squad. "To be honest I could do without the controversy! It is nice to be relaxed and left to work in peace, so I certainly won’t thank the media."Other Group B Matches:Ukraine moved top of Group B of the Euro 2008 qualifiers with a 1-0 win over Lithuania in Odessa. Ukraine made sure they were level on points with top two France and Scotland, but because they had already beaten the Scots, they secured top-spot. Ukraine, though, were made to work hard for victory by Lithuania - but they grabbed the winner just after the break. Dynamo Kiev star Oleg Gusev grabbed the goal as he poked the ball home after good work form Maxim Kalinichenko on the left.Georgia claimed a comfortable 3-1 success over Faroe Islands in Tblisi to move to fifth in the group. The home side took the lead after 25 minutes when David Siradze struck. Just a minute into the second half Georgia doubled their lead when Alexander Iashvili side-footed home after being sent clear by Levan Kobiashvili. The Faroes fought back and retained some hope as Rogvi Jacbobsen scored just before the hour mark - although their chances were dented moments later when Frodi Benjaminsen was dismissed for a second yellow card. Georgia sealed the win on the stroke of full time when Iashvilli scored his second from the penalty sport after Georgi Demetradze was brought down by Suni Olsen.View Euro 2008 Fixtures & Tables >>>
After winning the FIFA World Cup in 1982, Italy failed to qualify for the following UEFA European Championship. Having replaced Marcello Lippi following Italy's world title triumph in Germany, Roberto Donadoni is eager to avoid history repeating itself as the Azzurri face Scotland in Bari after a slow start to Group B.
With seven points from four games, Italy are five behind group leaders Scotland and France and two adrift of Ukraine. Suggestions that a poor result against Scotland on Wednesday could see Donadoni dismissed prompted Italian Football Federation commissioner Luca Pancalli to issue a statement: "We have complete faith in Donadoni. Right now the national team needs calm and not pointless panic."
Nonetheless, while some believe his career is in the balance, Donadoni remains sanguine. "I had some tests done and they said I'm not stressed at all," he joked. "I have always felt calm and safe since being appointed, and not only after Pancalli's words of support. I don't mind the rumours about my future. I'm just focused on fielding a very determined team against Scotland."
On Saturday Donadoni was in Glasgow to watch Scotland's 2-1 victory over Georgia. He said: "This result complicates matters a little bit for us, but in Italy it was greeted like a defeat for us. Maybe somebody didn't realise that we weren't playing on Saturday. In Bari we will try to take the initiative and set the tempo. Scotland are a very physical side with quality in midfield."
Captain Fabio Cannavaro has joined the defensive wall in front of his coach, saying: "You need to be a saint to work well with all this criticism, but Donandoni has the right personality to fulfil all expectations." Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon also accentuated the positive. "We expected Scotland to win and it would have been a surprise only if they had failed to beat Georgia."
Now Italy must rein the Scots in and striker Luca Toni - who may be partnered by in-form Lazio forward Tommaso Rocchi at the Stadio San Nicola - was sure his side could secure a win. "At this stage, three points against Scotland are a must," he said. "It will be a tough game but we played well in our last two outings and we want to continue along this path."
Slovakia 0-2 Italy (Sesto al Reghena)Italy kept up their perfect record in UEFA European Under-17 Championship Elite round Group 2 and set up a final-day decider with Ukraine.
Group hosts Italy beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Matchday 1, while Slovakia lost 2-0 to Ukraine. Michelangelo Albertazzi scored the first today after 23 minutes heading in a corner-kick by Fernando Forestieri. Salvatore Caturano scored the second 13 minutes from the end with a powerful left foot shot after controlling a pass by Forestieri from the left.
As Ukraine defeated the Czechs 5-2 earlier, Slovakia needed victory today to keep their hopes alive but instead on Thursday will be playing their neighbours only for pride. The Azzurrini, meanwhile, must defeat Ukraine in their decisive match to reach the finals in Belgium as Luca Gotti's team trail on goal difference.
Gotti said: "We played an excellent game and I think the team is improving both physically and technically. We are ready for the decider against Ukraine. We knew from the begininng this would be the deciding game and I'm sure we can play a great match."
Italy must beat Scotland on Wednesday after the Azzurri slipped to fourth place in Euro 2008 qualifying Group B following victories for their rivals on Saturday.
The Scots made their debut under new coach Alex McLeish and needed a last-minute winner from Craig Beattie to see off Georgia 2-1.
Donadoni was in the stands at Hampden Park to see Kris Boyd open the scoring with a header at the 11th minute, although Shota Arveladze equalised before the break.
France also left it relatively late to maintain the pace set by Scotland, earning a 1-0 victory away to Lithuania with Nicolas Anelka’s solo effort from a tight angle.
The pair continue to lead the qualifying group on 12 points after five matches, but Italy have now been overtaken in third place by the Ukraine.
The side Marcello Lippi’s men thrashed 3-0 in the World Cup quarter-finals now have nine points after four games – leaving the Azzurri behind on seven in the same period.
Despite not having Andriy Shevchenko due to injury, Ukraine still comfortably beat the Faroe Islands 2-0 with goals from Yerzerskyi and Gusev.
Pierluigi Casiraghi was one of almost 56,000 in the new Wembley entertained by the Azzurrini’s exploits today.
"It was a very entertaining game," smiled the Italy boss at the end of a 3-3 draw with their English counterparts. "There were a few mistakes on our side defensively, but matches can be enjoyable even with such errors."
It was an important test for the squad, as Italy will face England in the group phase of the European Under-21 Championships in June.
"We did well upfront, but in general today I saw a team with personality that proved it is in the ascendancy. I am satisfied, especially in the way we constructed play."
The hero was undoubtedly Giampaolo Pazzini, who opened the scoring after just 29 seconds and went on to net the first hat-trick at the rebuilt stadium.
The Fiorentina star couldn't quite believe he scored an historic hat-trick. "I certainly never even dreamed this would happen," he said after the match.
"Just yesterday I didn’t expect to score one goal here, let alone three with the first after less than 30 seconds. I am feeling incredible joy right now."
The striker wrote his name in several different pages of the history books with this match. He became the first player ever to score at the new Wembley in this inaugural competitive match, an Under-21 friendly.
He netted within 29 seconds, the fastest ever international goal here, shattering the record of 38 seconds. Pazzini also joins the short list of foreigners to have netted a hat-trick at Wembley, although he is by no means the first Italian. Gennaro Ruotolo achieved the feat for Genoa in the 5-2 Anglo-Italian Cup Final win over Port Vale.
Roberto Di Matteo also scored three goals under the towers, but in different games. He was on target for Chelsea in the 2-0 Cup win over Middlesbrough on May 17, 1998, again a year later against the same team and in May 2000 to beat Aston Villa.
Italy 2-1 Czech Republic (Montereale Valcellina)Salvatore Caturano and Fernando Forestieri struck first-half goals to give Italy a winning start to their UEFA European Under-17 Championship Elite round Group 2 fixtures against the Czech Republic.
Runners-up in Luxembourg last year, the Czechs fielded two of their squad from that season, goalkeeper Marek Stech and defender Miroslav Stepanek. But they were beaten seven minutes in by Caturano and highly-rated Genoa player Forestieri made it two from the penalty spot late in the first half.
Jan Lecjaks pulled one back four minutes after the break, but mini-tournament hosts Italy prevailed, having been inspired before the game by the appearances of Vincenzo Iaquinta, who showed off the FIFA World Cup to the 1,000 spectators.The Azzurrini meet Slovakia on Monday with three points on the board, while the Czechs will look to hit form against Ukraine.
A hat-trick from Giampaolo Pazzini inaugurated the new Wembley stadium as the Italian Under-21 side held their English counterparts to an entertaining 3-3 draw.
A crowd of nearly 56,000 saw Pazzini score after just 29 seconds with a stunning strike to record the first official goal at the new ground. There seemed to be little danger as Pazzini picked up the ball in the centre circle and ran at Anton Ferdinand, but he slammed a powerful shot past Lee Camp from 25 yards via a slight deflection off Ferdinand.David Bentley was England's star performer and he drew the score level at 1-1 in the 30th minute with a delightful free-kick that dipped over the defensive wall from 20 yards and flew into the left-hand corner of Gianluca Curci's goal.The pitch started to cut up in places but the state of the surface did not detract from the entertainment as Wayne Routledge beat Curci at his near post with a fine finish after 52 minutes to put the home side ahead.Their lead lasted just one minute as Pazzini turned home Antonio Nocerino's pass from close range after England had failed to clear a corner. However, England's advantage was restored on 58 minutes when James Milner played Bentley's cross back into the centre and Matt Derbyshire reacted quickly to slot the ball home off the post.
Pazzini grabbed his third in the 68th minute as he darted down the right wing and sent a low shot past Camp, and the Fiorentina youngster later missed a glorious opportunity to score a fourth before being substituted with ten minutes remaining.
The Azzurrini dominated possession in the closing stages but neither side could force a winner in a dress rehearsal for their European Under-21 Championship group game this summer.
Roberto Donadoni has excluded four players from the Euro 2008 qualifier with Scotland, but kept new boys Max Tonetto and Fabio Quagliarella.
Those of the original 25 left out of the trip to Bari are goalkeeper Marco Amelia, Fiorentina defender Manuel Pasqual, Milan’s Daniele Bonera and Chievo midfielder Franco Semioli.
The other 21 will meet at Coverciano on Sunday afternoon for the second stage of this international get-together ahead of Wednesday’s crunch tie at the Stadio San Nicola.
Amelia was suffering from a right knee problem, but the decisions were by and large tactical ones.
"I saw the new faces looking particularly sharp, especially Quagliarella," revealed Donadoni after the training session. "Will there be a debut at the first call-up? I will not exclude any possibility."
It would be a gamble to count on the Sampdoria hitman, who has no international experience or Champions League pedigree.
Other doubts include Roma midfielder Simone Perrotta, who did not train today due to a right thigh muscle twinge. "I don’t think it is anything serious," added the Coach.
Donadoni tested out a 4-2-3-1 system in training today and seemed confident this would be the right path against Scotland.
"It is one of the ideas I am considering at the moment. I performed some specific tests and am not particularly stressed."
On one side he fielded Abbiati; Zambrotta, Bonera, Barzagli, Tonetto; Gattuso, De Rossi; Quagliarella, Del Piero; Di Natale, Gilardino.
On the other were Buffon; Oddo, Cannavaro, Materazzi, Pasqual; Pirlo, Ambrosini; Camoranesi, Mauri; Rocchi, Toni.
After helping Parma avoid relegation during a six-month loan from Manchester United, striker Giuseppe Rossi has been included in Pierluigi Casiraghi's Italy squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Netherlands.