Paloschi snatches victory from Greece

Late twist
In a match of slight margins, Michail Pavlis's first-half strike – his seventh of this UEFA European Under-19 Championship season, making him the competition's top scorer – appeared to have been enough for Greece, but that was discounting the cool head of Paloschi who converted Italy's late penalty. Alexis Alexiou's side seemed to have resisted all that their opponents could muster until Andrea Poli won the crucial penalty decision in the penultimate minute of normal time, going down under a challenge from Kyriakos Papadopoulos. Paloschi, the Azzurri's attacking No7, did the rest by smashing the ball down the middle of the goal, giving keeper Nikos Babaniotis no chance.

Advantage Greece
Another No7, Greece's right-sided playmaker Sotiris Ninis, had been the inspiration for his team's 23rd-minute breakthrough. Already a full international, the 18-year-old Ninis played a perfect through pass along the floor to which Pavlis applied an equally stylish finish – the forward letting fly a low shot beyond goalkeeper Vincenzo Fiorillo. On the balance of the first-half play it was a deserved lead.

Midfield battle
Paloschi and Greece captain Ioannis Papadopoulos had traded early chances in a match that always hinged on an intense battle for midfield supremacy. Francesco Rocca's Italy side might even have equalised on the stroke of half-time however when, after a near miss by Andrea Mazzarani, a scramble in the Greece area resulted in the ball being forced over the line – only for the assistant referee to raise his flag and disallow Fabio Zamblera's effort.

Ebb and flow
Last season's beaten finalists almost doubled their advantage through Ioannis Papadopoulos, but his 56th-minute drive was smartly palmed away by Fiorillo. The dancing feet of Panathinaikos FC starlet Ninis, aided and abetted by Stergios Psianos, nearly played in Pavlis as the Greeks continued to threaten on the break. At the other end, a superbly-timed tackle by Kyriakos Papadopoulos denied a clear opportunity to Paloschi. The defender would not be so fortunate the next time as the Italian pressure finally paid off to earn a point. The Azzurri meet England on Thursday when Greece take on the Czech hosts.