BUSTO ARSIZIO – The Nerazzurri Primavera team led by Daniele Bernazzani tasted disappointment in the U-19 Super Cup last night as they were beaten 2-1 by Alberto De Rossi's Roma youngsters.
The contest at the Stadio Carlo Speroni in Busto Arstizio saw Italian league champions Inter face off against last season's Coppa Italia winners Roma - a match-up between two of Italy's most productive and successful youth academies. Both sides went into the final with seven Super Cup victories each (only Torino have more with eight).
Bernazzani was without many of the lads who contributed to last season's NextGen Series and championship double (Daniel Bessa, Raffaele Di Gennaro and Matteo Bianchetti were in the stands) but his side was bolstered by the likes of Ibrahima Mbaye, Alfred Duncan and Marko Livaja, who have spent time with the first team in recent months.
Roma took an early lead when Frediani's cross from the right was nodded in at close range by Bumba. The Nerazzurri almost hit back immediately: Duncan's long ball was brought down brilliantly by Garritano just outside the box before the 18-year-old forward tried an audacious lob which looped just wide of goal. The rest of first period saw plenty of action down both ends but Inter's cause wasn't helped when Mbaye was harshly sent off following a tussle with Frediani. And the Nerazzurri's plight worsened when Ricci's inch-perfect through ball picked out Frediani, who had an easy task to make it 2-0 just before half-time.
The chips may have been down but Bernazzani got the lads fired up during the break and despite playing with a man less Inter came out with all guns blazing. A free kick on the edge of the box (which probably should have been a penalty) was rolled across to Livaja and the Croatian drilled low past Svedkauskas to pull one back. The goal spurred the Nerazzurri on even more, and they set about laying siege to the Giallorossi goal. However, a combination of bad luck and good saves (plus a goal ruled out for offside) denied Bernazzani's lads an equaliser. A superb second-half display wasn't enough: the 2012 Primavera Super Cup went to Roma.
Inter 1-2 Roma (HT: 0-2)
Scorers:
Bumba 4, Frediani 44, Livaja 60.
Inter (4-2-3-1):
1 Dalle Vedove; 2 Bandini (Zaro 88), 4 Donkor, 5 Pasa, 3 Mbaye; 8
Benassi, 6 Duncan;7 Forte (Belloni 57), 10 Acampora, 11 Garritano
(Terrani 84); 9 Livaja.
Unused subs: 12
Cincilla, 13 Guglielmotti, 15 Eguelfi, 16 Bangoura, 17 Del Piero, 18
Tassi, 21 Ivusic, 22 Colombi, 23 Gabbianelli.
Coach: Daniele
Bernazzani.
Roma (4-3-3): 1 Svedkauskas; 2
Rosato, 4 Calabresi, 5 Carboni, 3 Yamnaine; 8 Lucca, 10 Ricci (Somma
83), 6 Cittadino (Mazzitelli 62); 7 Frediani (Ferri 80), 9 Ferrante,
11 Bumba.
Unused subs: 12 Zonfrilli, 13
Sammartino 14 Di Gioacchino, 16 Minicucci, 17 Pagliarini, 18 Ricci,
19 Mazzitelli, 20 Terriaca, 21 Gonzalez, 23 Romano.
Coach:
Alberto De Rossi.
Added time: 2 + 4 minutes.
Booked: Cittadino 22, Forte 25, Ricci 37, Frediani 44, Donkor 92.
Sent off: Mbaye 39.
