Bartesaghi, Cisse and Camarda feature as Italy U21s book U21 Euros spot

There was good news for AC Milan’s three young Italians on international duty, as they secured qualification for the U21 European Championships.

Silvio Baldini’s Italy U21s knew that they had to win by a two-goal margin going into the final game of the group. Poland were top of the group and had won the first meeting 2-1 against the Azzurrini, which set the scene for the finale.

Last night, Italy won 6-2 to secure a direct spot in the next European Championships for their age group, scheduled for June of next year in Albania and Serbia. Three AC Milan players also played a key role in the match, to varying degrees: Davide Bartesaghi, Alphadjo Cisse and Francesco Camarda.

Bartesaghi started from the start, deployed as a left-back in a back four complemented by Comuzzo and Chiarodia in the centre and Honest Ahanor on the opposite flank. Bartesaghi delivered a tidy performance, highlighted by a few runs down the left flank. He also had some shots blocked.

Cisse played as a false nine, unlike against Armenia where he came on at half-time as a winger. This time, he was supported on the wings by Liberali and Koleosho. He didn’t find the back of the net like versus Armenia, but with his movements he was a constant thorn in the side of the Polish defence.

He performed less well in the first 15 minutes of the second half, prompting Baldini to replace him with another Rossoneri player, Francesco Camarda. The striker ran a lot and made several passes, helping the Azzurri put the game to bed in a historic night for the Italian U21s.

The ratings

La Gazzetta dello Sport awarded Cisse a 6.5: “His ‘outward’ movement, which frees up space, was crucial.” Tuttosport also gave him the same rating: “Less explosive than against Armenia, but still very useful, even as a false nine: he moves, leaves space for his teammates to run in, and he stings.” Corriere dello Sport also went 6.5.

La Gazzetta dello Sport gave Baretasghi a 7: “A hammer on the left: continuous running and even a couple of attempts with his left, the ball always comes out well from his foot.” Tuttosport gave the same: “A message for Amorim : this Barte is a real eye-catcher, forward and back, a rollercoaster – and perhaps he could be seen a bit more at Milan too.” Corriere dello Sport made it a hat-trick.