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Italy have officially claimed bronze at the U17 World Cup after defeating Brazil on penalties in the third-place play-off on Thursday, their best ever finish.
The Azzurrini had won all of their first six matches at the tournament, but fell to a heartbreaking 2-0 defeat to Austria in the semi-final earlier this week, which condemned them to a spot in the third-place play-off rather than a spot in the final.
Italy topped Group A after victories against Qatar, Bolivia and South Africa, then beat Czechia 2-0 in the Round of 32, Uzbekistan 3-2 in the Round of 16 and Burkina Faso 1-0 in the quarter-final.
They were defeated 2-0 by Austria on Monday after a brace from the tournament’s leading goalscorer, Johannes Moser, but have now claimed third place at the tournament after a penalty shoot-out victory over Brazil. The sides had been level at 0-0 after full-time.
A third-place finish is Italy’s best ever result at the U17 World Cup. The Azzurrini have appeared at the final tournament on eight occasions.
Their previous best was a fourth-place finish in the 16-team tournament in 1987. They had previously reached the quarter-finals in 2009 and 2019.
FIFA World Cup
