From Late Drama to Shootout Glory: Italy U17 Claim the European Crown in a Battle Against Belgium
Date: June 7, 2026
Venue: Lillekula Staadion, Tallinn, Estonia
Result: Belgium 1 (3) – 1 (4) Italy
Goals: Noa Ojea (85’), Marcello Fugazzola (91’)
The UEFA European Under-17 Championship Final brought together two organized and disciplined sides in Belgium and Italy. From the opening whistle, both teams demonstrated the intensity expected of a championship match, pressing aggressively and attempting to force mistakes high up the field. The early stages were characterized by numerous fouls as both sides competed fiercely for control of possession and sought to disrupt their opponent’s rhythm. Sven Vermant’s Belgium squad fielded a 4-2-3-1 while Daniele Franceschini’s squad playing in a 4-3-2-1. Neither team was willing to concede territory, resulting in a highly competitive opening where transitions occurred frequently following turnovers.
Belgium showed a clear intention to exploit wide areas through rotations and combination play. Their attacking players regularly interchanged positions, creating overloads designed to pull Italy’s defensive structure apart and generate opportunities behind the back line.
Belgium’s winger #7 Jayden Onia Seke was particularly influential during this period, consistently threatening in 1v1 situations.
Italy responded with a different attacking approach. In possession, they frequently formed a 2-3-5 structure in the attacking third, utilizing third-man runs and quick combinations to penetrate Belgium’s defensive block. They also looked to play directly into space behind the Belgian defense before competing aggressively for second balls and building attacks from advanced areas.
Belgium’s attacking rotations and Italy’s vertical attacking play created moments of danger, but neither side was able to provide the decisive final pass required to generate high-quality scoring opportunities.
Belgium’s #10 Joshua Nga Kana also showed flashes of quality between the lines, nearly producing a decisive attacking action before halftime.
The pattern of the match continued after the restart. Forward passes from both teams were frequently intercepted, leading to quick transitions in the opposite direction. The game became increasingly transitional, with each side searching for small advantages while remaining wary of exposing themselves defensively.
At the 58-minute mark, Italy made their first significant adjustment. #21 Federico Croci was replaced by #19 Tommaso Casagrande, while #17 Francesco Casparello made way for #16 Francesco Ballarin. The substitutions were introduced to provide fresh energy and different attacking profiles against a Belgian defense that had largely coped with Italy’s forward play.
Belgium continued to focus on manipulating Italy’s defensive organization through movement in wide areas. Their attacking structure consistently looked to overload one side of the field while isolating the weak-side winger in favorable 1v1 situations whenever the point of attack was switched. This tactical approach increasingly forced Italy’s defensive unit to shift across the field and defend larger spaces.
Italy responded with further changes in the 67th minute when #10 Thomas Corigliano was replaced by #7 Jacopo Landi. Moments later, Italy nearly found the breakthrough. Following an aggressive pressing action, they regained possession in an advanced area and created one of the best goal-scoring opportunities of the match.
Belgium was rewarded in the 84th minute when substitute #18 Noa Ojea’s 1v1 ability culminated in Belgium taking the lead.
In the 87th minute, Italy earned a corner kick. The resulting delivery led to a handball inside the Belgian penalty area, and the referee immediately pointed to the spot. With the match hanging in the balance, Italy’s #11 Marcello Fugazzola stepped forward and converted the penalty, bringing the score level at 1-1. Sending the final into penalty kicks.
After 90 minutes of evenly matched football, the UEFA European Under-17 Championship Final was decided from the penalty spot. Italy won the penalty shootout 4-3, securing the UEFA European Under-17 Championship title.
Standout Players throughout the Match:
Tommaso Casagrande (Italy #19) — 2009 born center forward who plays for Verona’s U20 academy squad. Starting In the US Triestina youth set up, Casagrande moved into Verona’s youth system in 2023. Domestically, he has tallied 1889’ minutes across 44 appearances while internationally he has accumulated 505’ minutes across 11 matches all within the 2025/2026 season. Casagrande’s strengths are his ability to hold up play, technical ability in 1v1 ground duels and creativity in the final third.
Jayden Onia Seke (Belgium #7) — 2009 born right winger who came up through KSC Grimbergen and RSC Anderlecht’s academy before going RSCA Futures in 2024. Seke tallied 1800’ minutes across 23 appearances domestically while accumulating 671’ across 11 matches internationally in the 2025/2026 season. His strengths are his ability to create space beyond opponents with individual skill and acceleration. Currently Seke is represented by CAA Stellar.
Joshua Nga Kana (Belgium #10) — 2009 born right winger who came up through BX Brussels and RSC Anderlecht’s academy before going RSCA Futures in 2025. Domestically Kana tallied a total of 1391’ minutes across 23 matches while internationally accumulating 483’ minutes across 10 matches within the 2025/2026 season. His strengths are his creativity in the attacking third, technical ability in tight spaces and forward first mentality.
Lorenzo Dattilo (Italy #13) — 2010 born left back playing in AS Roma’s Youth structure played only 30’ minutes domestically in the U17 age group in 1 match while internationally accumulating 748’ across 13 matches in the 2025/2026 season. Dattilo’s strengths are his individual defending in ground & aerial duels, anticipation for interceptions and forward runs to support the attack.
