Italy eliminates Spain after penalty drama and reaches the UEFA U-17 Euro final in Estonia
The Italian U-17 football national team qualified for the final of the 2026 UEFA European Under-17 Championship after defeating Spain on Thursday, 4 June 2026, in the semi-final in Tallinn after a penalty shoot-out. The match at Lilleküla staadion ended 1:1 after the regular 90 minutes, and Italy were more precise in the shoot-out and won 4:2, or 5:3 overall after penalties according to the official match report of the Italian Football Federation. The goals in normal time were scored by Federico Croci from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute for Italy and Mikel Urrestarazu in the 77th minute for Spain. According to UEFA, FIGC and RFEF publications, the match was played at Lilleküla staadion in Tallinn, confirming a location that had not been listed in the initial match summary. The Italians will fight for the title against Belgium, who defeated France 2:1 in the other semi-final.
Lupo marked the match and the shoot-out
The key figure of the semi-final was the Italian goalkeeper Christian Lupo, a Lecce player, who according to the FIGC report saved three penalty kicks in the same match. First, in the 29th minute, he stopped Christian Imga’s penalty-kick attempt, preventing a Spanish lead during a period in which Sergio García’s team had more of the ball and created pressure. After the 1:1 score in regular time, Lupo saved the shoot-out attempts of Ian Mencía and Enzo Alves, opening Italy’s path to the final. Italian takers Thomas Corigliano, Tommaso Casagrande, Lorenzo Dattilo and Edoardo Dario Rocca were accurate, and Rocca converted the final kick that concluded the series. In its report, the RFEF emphasized that Spain had more of the play and almost 70 percent possession in the first half, but Italian efficiency and composure in the most stressful moments proved decisive.
Spain missed an early penalty, Italy punished them through Croci
Spain, according to the Spanish federation, tried from the beginning to control the rhythm through possession and a wide attacking structure. Ian Mencía threatened already in the 7th minute, and Christian Imga won a penalty in the 28th minute after a run down the flank and contact with Giampaolo Bonifazi. Lupo already announced then an evening in which he would have a decisive influence, saving Imga’s shot in the 29th minute. The Italian reaction came gradually: Corigliano tried an attractive shot in the 15th minute after Matteo Albini’s cross, and the closing stages of the first half brought a psychological turnaround. Croci, the Fiorentina forward born in 2010, won a penalty after his attempt inside the penalty area was stopped by Mario Díaz’s hand, and then scored in the 42nd minute for 1:0.
Italy’s lead at the break was the result of a match in which Spain, according to the RFEF report, had more arrivals in front of the opposing goal but did not take advantage of the clearest opportunity. FIGC, on the other hand, stressed that the Italian team did not collapse after Spanish pressure, but grew as the first half progressed. In first-half stoppage time, Zamorano tried from distance, but his shot did not change the score. Such an outcome further increased the importance of every detail in the continuation, because at this stage of the competition, according to UEFA rules stated in the official competition announcement, there is no extra time if a semi-final or final ends without a winner in regular time. The winner is then determined directly by penalty kicks, which gave this match additional weight already from the start of the final half-hour.
Urrestarazu brought Spain back, but the shoot-out belonged to Italy
The second half began with an Italian chance, when Edoardo Biondini headed wide of the goal in the 46th minute after Croci’s cross. Spain then once again took the initiative and sought an equalizer through attempts by Mencía and Raúl Expósito, but none of those shots ended up on target. In the 72nd minute, Enzo Alves, the Real Madrid forward and son of former Brazilian international Marcelo, hit the crossbar with a header after Rubén Gómez’s cross. That moment foreshadowed the Spanish equalizer, which arrived five minutes later. Urrestarazu, the Athletic Club defender, reacted fastest in the scramble in front of the Italian goal and scored for 1:1, a result that remained until the end of regular time.
The RFEF described that goal as a deserved reward for persistent pressure, while the Italian federation emphasized that Italy withstood the final surge and reached a situation in which penalties decided the outcome. In the shoot-out, Spain scored first through Sergi Mayans, and Italy answered through Corigliano. After that, Lupo saved Mencía’s shot, Casagrande scored for Italy, and Lupo then also stopped Enzo Alves’s attempt. Dattilo increased the Italians’ advantage, Jordi Pesquer kept Spain in the game, but Rocca calmly converted the fourth Italian kick. With that, Italy confirmed their passage to the final, while Spain ended the tournament in the semi-final after a match in which, according to its own federation, it did many things well but did not have enough accuracy from the spot.
Franceschini’s Italy reaches the fifth final match in the history of the competition
According to the FIGC publication, the Italian U-17 national team secured the fifth final in the history of the European Championship in this category. The Italians had previously lost finals in 2013, 2018 and 2019, while they won their first title in 2024 in Cyprus with a victory against Portugal. Head coach Daniele Franceschini emphasized after the match that what particularly pleased him was not only reaching the final, but also the path the team had taken from the first and second qualifying rounds to the final tournament. FIGC conveyed his assessment that the group grew from match to match and gained increasing confidence in its own abilities. Italy also showed resilience at the end of the group stage, because in the last round of Group B they drew 3:3 with Denmark, but finished the group in first place with seven points.
In the semi-final, Italy played in a 4-3-1-2 system, with Lupo in goal, a defence of Bonifazi, Donato, Varali and Albini, a midfield including Biondini, Okon-Engstler and Gasparello, and Corigliano behind the attacking pair Perillo and Croci. According to the FIGC match report, compared with the match against Denmark, Franceschini made four changes to the starting line-up, including the introductions of Bonifazi, Okon-Engstler, Croci and Corigliano. Spain responded with a 4-3-3 system with Guille Ponce in goal, a defence consisting of Raúl Expósito, Mario Díaz, Sergi Mayans and Jordi Pesquer, and an attacking trio of Abdou Kemo, Roberto Tomás and Christian Imga. In the second half, Sergio García introduced Enzo Alves, Rubén Gómez and Urrestarazu, which changed the dynamic of the match and brought the Spanish goal, but not progression.
Spain ended the tournament after a strong impression in the group
Spain entered the semi-final after Group A, in which, according to UEFA’s schedule and results, Belgium, Spain and Croatia finished with six points each, while host Estonia remained without points. Spain opened the tournament with a 4:1 victory against Estonia, then defeated Belgium 1:0, and in the last round lost to Croatia 2:3. Because of the record in the head-to-head mini-table of the three national teams with the same number of points, Belgium finished first and Spain second, which sent them to face Italy as the winner of Group B. Ahead of the match, the RFEF recalled that the duel between Spain and Italy at U-17 level had become one of the most frequent European classics of this category. According to data from the Spanish federation published before the match, those two national teams had played 26 matches since 2000, and Spain before this semi-final had 17 wins, five draws and four defeats.
Such statistics did not bring an advantage in the decisive moments in Tallinn. Spain, according to its own federation, had a clear idea of play and enough arrivals, but the missed penalty in the first half and two unsuccessful attempts in the shoot-out cost them dearly. In development categories, matches like this often carry double weight: the result decides medals and finals, but at the same time serves as experience for players who are only at the beginning of their international path. In its publication, the RFEF stressed that the team ended the competition without a reward, but with valuable lessons and perspective for the future. From a neutral point of view, the semi-final showed two different models of play: Spain’s pursuit of control and possession and Italy’s organization, patience and high conversion rate in the moments of greatest pressure.
Belgium awaits in the final on 7 June
UEFA confirmed in its official schedule announcement that the final will be played on Sunday, 7 June 2026, at Lilleküla staadion in Tallinn, starting at 19:00 Central European Time, or 20:00 local time in Estonia. Italy’s opponent will be Belgium, who defeated France 2:1 in the first semi-final on the same day. According to FIGC, the goals for Belgium were scored by Jayden Onia Seke and Ilyas Benktib, both from Anderlecht, while the scorer for France was Arone Gadou from Stade de Reims. UEFA announced that the 2026 final tournament began on 25 May in Estonia and that the country is organizing the final stage of the European Under-17 Championship for the first time. The final match will thus round off a tournament in which Italy reached the final as the winner of Group B and after a dramatic victory over Spain, while Belgium arrive as the winner of Group A and the semi-final winner against France.
For Italy, the final will be an opportunity to confirm continuity in a category in which, according to FIGC, they first won the title in 2024. For Belgium, the match will have special significance because, according to UEFA’s presentation of the semi-finalists, they had previously been eliminated several times in the U-17 Euro semi-finals, including in 2025. Given that the knockout-stage rules do not provide for extra time, the final match can also go directly to penalties if there is no winner after 90 minutes. Italian experience from the semi-final may therefore have psychological value, but the final carries a different context and new demands. After an evening in which Christian Lupo became the central story of Italy’s progress, Daniele Franceschini’s team will have two days to recover and prepare for the last match of the tournament.
Sources:
- UEFA – official schedule, results, venues and the rule on shoot-outs without extra time in the knockout phase of the 2026 UEFA U-17 Euro. (link)
- UEFA – presentation of the semi-finalists, group context and preview of the Italy U-17 – Spain U-17 and Belgium U-17 – France U-17 matches. (link)
- FIGC – official report of the Italian Football Federation on the semi-final, match report, scorers, penalties, line-ups and statements by head coach Daniele Franceschini. (link)
- RFEF – official report of the Spanish Football Federation on the match, course of play, Spanish possession, technical data and shoot-out. (link)
- RFEF – match preview and historical overview of head-to-head meetings between Spain and Italy in U-17 competition. (link)