Last ninety minutes to decide the finalists of the Under 16 Serie C Championship, who will play for the 2023-2024 title on June 23rd in Fermo. With one foot already ready for the championship challenge, Virtus Entella, thanks to the clear victory in the first leg at Avellino. Confidence also for Cesena, who prevailed against Benevento a week ago. In the Under 17 Championship, access to the penultimate round is up for grabs, with Renate and Cesena favored over Albinoleffe and Pro Vercelli thanks to last Sunday’s results, and the rest of the scheduled races still in the balance. The eve of the semi-finals for the four protagonists of the Under 15 tournament – Pro Sesto, Pergolettese, Arezzo and Virtus Fracavilla – who will take to the pitch to play for the pass to the Recanati final on 26 June.
Opening the Under 15 semi-finals is the cartel match between Virtus Francavilla and Arezzo, two teams returning from a regular season played at very high levels and from a very respectable run in the playoffs. On the one hand the formation of Luciano Montesardi, who finished in second place in group D but in the direct elimination phase got the better of Monterosi and Perugia, demonstrating their offensive strength, as already happened during the season, which ended with 92 goals scored. The Arezzo route is no exception Peter Peruzziwinner of group C and arrived at the penultimate act before the championship dream with the scalp of Giugliano and Pescara and thanks to the scoring streak of Farnese (43 goals in the season) and a team that scored with 15 other players.
“We managed the squad to prepare for the play-offs and arrive in the best possible conditions for these matches – he declared Montesardi – Our journey starts from afar, from a great championship and from our good performances also the national and international tournaments in which we competed against Serie A clubs. It will be a great match to play, during which it will have its the field factor also has an impact, since we play on a synthetic pitch, while they have a grass surface. It is certainly a great moment for the kids, who are realizing that they have an opportunity to dedicate themselves, as well as to grow on a personal and sporting level. We know Arezzo, we know that they have important numbers, players with a past in A and B clubs, but we are aware of the weapons at our disposal. We are sorry not to be able to count on top scorer D’Ippolito and Leo, who are out due to injury, but thanks to the depth of our squad, we are able to compensate, and well, for their absences: just mention Catapano who in attack is guaranteeing the goals we have allowed us to get this far and continue our daydream.”
“We are confident, the team is in shape and we can’t wait to play a match like this,” he declared Peruzzi – We face a very strong team, as are all those who have reached this point in the season, and we want to have fun first and foremost, obviously with the desire to get to the end. We are newly promoted, many kids come from the provincial and regional championships and we are happy and satisfied to have started a growth and training path for them, who are now living a unique experience. Farnese is undoubtedly a very important piece and with his 43 goals he has made an enormous contribution to our successes, thanks also to the great support of a collective that has seen another 15 of his teammates score and in any case have one of the best defenses of the championship”.
In the second semi-final, the Pro Sesto di Sacco, queen of the category with the maximum points won in the regular season, after having struggled against Albinoleffe in the quarterfinals, they found Pergolettese led by Lele Russo, who had the merit of eliminating the reigning champions Cesena and then overcoming Pontedera who brought the victory against another big team like Padua.
Round of 16 (first leg Sunday 12 May)
O1) Rimini-Pro Sesto 1-5
O2) Albinoleffe-Alessandria 0-0
O3) Pergolettese-Cesena 2-1
O4) Pontedera-Padova 3-1
O5) Giugliano-Arezzo 2-1
O6) Juve Stabia-Pescara 1-1
O7) Perugia-Monopoli 2-2
O8) Monterosi Tuscia-Virtus Francavilla 0-0
Return (Sunday 19 May)
O1) Pro Sesto-Rimini 3-3
O2) Alessandria-Albinoleffe 1-1
O3) Cesena-Pergolettese 1-1
O4) Padova-Pontedera 1-1
O5) Arezzo-Giugliano 3-2
O6) Pescara-Juve Stabia 1-0
O7) Monopoli-Perugia 1-2
O8) Virtus Francavilla-Monterosi Tuscia 2-2
Quarter-finals (first leg: Sunday 26 May | second leg: Sunday 2 June)
Q1) Alessandria-Pro Sesto 1-1
Q2) Pergolettese-Pontedera 1-1
Q3) Pescara-Arezzo 2-3
Q4) Perugia-Virtus Francavilla 1-3
Return (Sunday 2 June)
Q1) Pro Sesto-Alessandria 1-1
Q2) Pontedera-Pergolettese 2-3
Q3) Arezzo-Pescara 2-1
Q4) Virtus Francavilla-Perugia 3-0
Semi-finals (first leg: Sunday 9 June | second leg: Sunday 16 June)
S1) Pro Sesto-Pergolettese
S2) Virtus Francavilla-Arezzo
Final (Recanati, Wednesday 26 June, 6pm, live on DAZN and VivoAzzurro TV)
winning S1-winning S2
Just another ninety minutes and the two teams that will play in the national Under 16 Serie C final in Fermo on June 23rd will be chosen. It was undoubtedly Scotto’s Virtus Entella who secured access to the championship match after the first leg of the semi-finals. Thanks to the 6-1 success over Avellino, gained thanks to Grasso’s hat-trick, a brace from Venturini and a goal from Croce, the Ligurians can look forward to the return match on Sunday morning at the ‘Daneri’ in Chiavari with great confidence. On paper, the match between Cesena and Benevento is still open, with the Romagna team led by Magi having the advantage thanks to the 2-1 imposed on the Campania team in the first leg match (News first leg semi-finals).
Quarter-finals (first leg: Saturday 11th – Sunday 12th May)
Q1) Renate-Cesena 0-1
Q2) Turris-Virtus Entella 2-0
Q3) Albinoleffe-Avellino 1-3
Q4) Benevento-Vicenza 2-1
Return (Sunday 19 May)
Q1) Cesena-Renate 1-1
Q2) Virtus Entella-Turris 3-1 aet
Q3) Avellino-Albinoleffe 3-2
Q4) Vicenza-Benevento 1-2
Semi-finals (first leg: Sunday 2 June)
S1) Benevento-Cesena 1-2
S2) Avellino-Virtus Entella 1-6
Semifinals (return: Sunday 9 June)
S1) Cesena-Benevento
S2) Virtus Entella-Avellino
Final (Fermo, Sunday 23 June, 6pm, live on DAZN and VivoAzzurro TV)
winning S1-winning S2
In the Under 17 tournament, access to the semi-finals is up for grabs, with the return of the quarter-finals featuring the eight best teams in Italy. Renate Cristiano has already placed a foot in the next round, who after the 5-0 win over Albinoleffe in the first leg, approaches Sunday’s home match with understandable serenity. Confidence also for Cesena, who in Vercelli, at the end of a game that was anything but simple, found success (the final result was 4-3 for the Romagna team) which allows them to start with a certain advantage in the return match at ‘Rognoni Sports Centre’. Concrete possibilities for Billò’s Ancona, who at home will be able to complete what they achieved on the Benevento field a week ago (3-2 for the Marche region the final result), while everything is still at stake between Avellino and Latina, returning from a draw by 2-2 in the first leg played in Lazio (News first leg quarter-finals).
Round of 16 (first leg: Sunday 19 May)
O1) Albinoleffe-Virtus Entella 1-3
O2) Spal-Renate 0-0
O3) Pro Vercelli-Vicenza 1-2
O4) Sestri Levante-Cesena 1-5
O5) Virtus Francavilla-Ancona 1-4
O6) Giugliano-Benevento 0-3
O7) Latina-Sorrento 2-0
O8) Pescara-Avellino 2-2
Return (Sunday 26 May)
O1) Virtus Entella-Albinoleffe 0-3
O2) Renate-Spal 0-0
O3) Vicenza-Pro Vercelli 1-4
O4) Cesena-Sestri Levante 5-0
O5) Ancona-Virtus Francavilla 3-1
O6) Benevento-Giugliano 2-0
O7) Sorrento-Latina 2-1
O8) Avellino-Pescara 2-0
Quarter-finals (first leg: Sunday 2 June)
Q1) Albinoleffe-Renate 0-5
Q2) Pro Vercelli-Cesena 3-4
Q3) Benevento-Ancona 2-3
Q4) Latina-Avellino 2-2
Quarter-finals (return: Sunday 9 June)
Q1) Renate-Albinoleffe
Q2) Cesena-Pro Vercelli
Q3) Ancona-Benevento
Q4) Avellino-Latin
Semi-finals (Sunday 16 June)
S1) winning Q1-winning Q2
S2) winning Q3-winning Q4
Final (San Benedetto del Tronto, Tuesday 18 June, 8pm, live DAZN and VivoAzzurro TV)
winning S1-winning S2
