Sculli shines for little Italy

Italy made it two wins out of two in with a 4-1 victory over Yugoslavia in their UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier in Rome.

'A big step'
Coach Claudio Gentile described the win as "a big step forward" after the Azzurrini struck three second-half goals to claim a win that leaves them top of Group 9, ahead of Finland on goal difference. The Finns also secured their second win of the campaign, 3-0 against Azerbaijan.

Debut double
The hero of the night was striker Giuseppe Sculli, who, deputising for Antonio Cassano, scored twice on his U21 debut. "It's fantastic," said Sculli, who is on loan at Modena Calcio from Juventus FC. "It was a difficult debut because I had to replace a great player like Cassano but everything went well and I scored two goals."

Borriello scores again
Yugoslavia's Nino Pekaric cancelled out Sculli's ninth-minute opener on 34 minutes, but AC Milan striker Marco Borriello restored the hosts' lead in the 68th minute with his third goal in two qualifiers. Sculli then deflected in a free-kick from AS Bari midfield player Gaetano D'Agostino, who added the fourth himself in injury time.

Gentile satisfied
Gentile said: "The boys were great tonight. We were a bit confused and shocked after their goal, but we played really well in the second half. We have still a long way to go in order to qualify but tonight we made a big step forward." Italy, who visit Wales on Tuesday, have won four of the last six editions of the U21 championship.

Lindström brace
In Helsinki, meanwhile, Mathias Lindström scored two first-half goals and Pekka Lagerblom added a third as Finland ran out comfortable winners against Azerbaijan. The Finns travel to Yugoslavia on Tuesday.