National Stadium
Spectators: 1028 (Terracing: 772,
Seating: 236, VIP seats: 20) U21 Bulgaria's Robert Levandowsky started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. Through an outstanding action, after 9 minutes, Alvaro Rotili successfully got his hands on the ball before it slid into the goal at the right post. 12 minutes into the match, U21 Italy's Francesco Gaspari sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Nikolay Bonkov narrowly saved just below the crossbar. In the 16th minute Alfonso Sciarretta shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Nikolay Bonkov saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. U21 Bulgaria's Nikolay Bonkov played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Rik Hello in the 21st minute of play. Nikolay Bonkov showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Ferdinando De Simone in the 26th minute of the match. In the 28th minute Ferdinando De Simone shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Nikolay Bonkov saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 31st minute, Rik Hello made a precise shot to the right of Nikolay Bonkov. U21 Bulgaria's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 0-1. In the 36th minute, Francesco Gaspari ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Nikolay Bonkov was frozen by the shot and now it was 0-2. U21 Italy's Alvaro Rotili played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Georgi Asparuhov in the 39th minute of play. 42 minutes into the match, U21 Bulgaria's goal looked a bit too open when Rik Hello came free, but Nikolay Bonkov reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Alfonso Sciarretta recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 45th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Disappointed in the 0-2 score, the home team went to the dressing room to adjust tactics for the second half.
When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Francesco Gaspari made a kick off. 51 minutes into the match, U21 Bulgaria's goal looked a bit too open when Francesco Gaspari came free, but Nikolay Bonkov reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. 53 minutes into the game, Jerry Scotta was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. U21 Italy's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave U21 Bulgaria the free kick. A collision led to U21 Italy getting a freekick after 53 minutes play. Jerry Scotta hit a great ball. Yonko Devendzhiev's late challenge caught a U21 Italy's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Yonko Devendzhiev helped the player get up and apologised. In the 55th match minute, U21 Bulgaria was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Yonko Devendzhiev to maneuver through the defense. U21 Italy made a substitution. Cosimo Rocchi replaced Francesco Gaspari. U21 Italy made a substitution. Fabrizio Cauli replaced Alfonso Sciarretta. 59 minutes into the match, U21 Italy's Cosimo Rocchi sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Nikolay Bonkov narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Alvaro Rotili showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Georgi Asparuhov, who was totally free with the ball in the 60th minute. Nikolay Bonkov showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Donato Cordone in the 63rd minute of the match. Robert Levandowsky struck a weak shot in the 64th minute. Alvaro Rotili didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for U21 Bulgaria. Alvaro Rotili made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Georgi Asparuhov in the 67th minute of play. Donato Cordone hit a great freekick 68 minutes into the match. Nikolay Bonkov took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Donato Cordone, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After a rather tough play, U21 Italy's Rik Hello got a free kick in the 72nd minute. Alvaro Rotili stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Georgi Asparuhov's shot from short distance in the 73rd minute. An unexpectedly hard shot by Robert Levandowsky in the 75th minute of play forced U21 Italy's goalkeeper Alvaro Rotili to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. The audience thought a goal was coming when Cosimo Rocchi got free with Nikolay Bonkov in the 80th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Alvaro Rotili showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Robert Levandowsky in the 82nd minute of the match. After some fancy dribbling in the 86th minute, Fabrizio Cauli managed to get in a good position for a shot. U21 Italy's supporters rose to their feet, but Fabrizio Cauli was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Nikolay Bonkov breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. U21 Bulgaria made a substitution. Radko Bezhanski replaced Yonko Devendzhiev. Nikolay Bonkov made an important save on a dangerous shot by Fabrizio Cauli in the 91st minute. In the 92nd minute Donato Cordone shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Nikolay Bonkov saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Cosimo Rocchi in the 94thth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Nikolay Bonkov, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. When the final whistle was heard the away supporters stood up and showed their joy. U21 Italy had managed to secure a win in what was a close match throughout.
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