U21 | France 1-2 Italy: Camarda and Lipani secure another victory

CREMONA, ITALY - OCTOBER 14: Francesco Camarda of Italy celebrates after scoring the 3-0 goal during the UEFA Euro U21 Qualification match between Italy and Armenia at Stadio Giovanni Zini on October 14, 2025 in Cremona, Italy. (Photo by Marco M. Mantovani/Getty Images)

Italy have beaten France again, this time at Under-21 level in a friendly trip across the Alps, with goals from Francesco Camarda and Luca Lipani.

The Azzurrini were celebrating their qualification for the European Under-21 Championships that will be played next summer. Awaiting the draw on November 26, they visited France for a friendly test, having lost several talents to the senior squad in the Nations League for last night’s 3-1 victory over Les Bleus at San Siro.

Alessio Cacciamani got down the left and forced a difficult reaction save at the near post, and an acrobatic Lorenzo Amatucci volley on the resulting corner flashed just wide.

Francesco Camarda did have the ball in the net after 25 minutes at the end of a well-worked team move, tapping in the Matteo Dagasso roll across, but the offside flag went up.

Jean-Matteo Bahoya burst into the box and picked the wrong pass when clear on goal, intercepted by Fabio Chiarodia, while Camarda at full stretch turned wide on the Cacciamani sprint and roll across from the left.

Lorenzo Palmisani had to make a huge save just before half-time, getting down to palm the Lesley Ugochukwu effort off the line.

Seydou Fini nodded wide when the France goalkeeper mistimed his attempt to flap at a Cacciamani cross, then Davide Bartesaghi threw himself in the path of a dangerous Tidiam Gomis strike.

Italy broke the deadlock when Dagasso intercepted a loose ball and surged forward, then his disguised slide-rule pass released Camarda to score sliding in from seven yards.

However, France got back on level terms with a beautiful lob from Giovani Versini, who had drawn Palmisani out on a long ball only to dink it into the empty net from a very difficult angle.

It didn’t last long, as Luca Lipani of Sassuolo won it back in midfield and ran forward, picking his spot in the far bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Steve Ngoura drilled wide from a very promising move, then forced a tricky Palmisani save at the near post, but the Frosinone goalkeeper had to make a sensational save on the Ethan Mbappé free kick.

Camarda 54 (I), Versini 61 (F), Lipani 68 (I)

France U21: Patouillet; Koudou (Canvot 85), Gadou, Belocian, Diawara (Methalie 85); Coulibaly (Bamba 79), Ugochukwu (Tabibou 79), Danois (Atangana 65); Versini (E Mbappé 65), Gomis, Bahoya (Ngora 65)

Italy U21: Palmisani; Mane (Kouadio 86), Comuzzo, Chiarodia, Bartesaghi; Amatucci (Faticanti 62), Dagasso (Berti 71), Lipani (Zeroli 86); Cacciamani (Inacio 62), Camarda (Ekhator 62), Fini (Cherubini 71)