Viareggio: Dell'Agnello's brace, Inter champions

The Nerazzurri's youth side win the 'Carnival Cup' for the sixth time after a performance of great maturity

LIVORNO – Fulvio Pea's Inter Under-21 side have won the 2011 Viareggio-Coppa Carnevale Tournament after beating Fiorentina 2-0 at the Stadio Armando Picchi. The hero of the day and the tournament was Livorno-born Simone Dell'Agnello, who scored twice to win the top-goalscorer award as well as being elected best player. This is the sixth time that Inter - who showed great maturity throughout the tournament - have claimed the most important youth-team trophy in the world, which confirms the continuity of the club's youth policy. Indeed it is the third time since the year 2000 that victory has gone to the team from the Centro Sportivo Giacinto Facchetti. The Nerazzurri produced fine performances in today's final in Tuscany both as a team and as individuals – another Inter player originating from Livorno, Bardi, picked up the award for best goalkeeper.

FIRST HALF - With Thiam out of the side through suspension, Fulvio Pea picked Faraoni as attacking outside-right with Alibec returning to the left wing and a solid Dell'Agnello in the middle of the Nerazzurri attack. Inter got off to a good start and were dangerous in the first minute. Dell'Agnello, wide on the right, sped off along the wing with the ball at his feet. He was pulled down near the penalty area. Alibec stepped up to take the free-kick and tried to find Dell'Agnello in the penalty box, but the defence turned the ball out for a corner. In the 4th minute, Inter took the lead. Alibec crossed from the left to Jirasek who burst through into the area and set up Romanò. The Nerazzurri number 16 dummied a shot and passed to Dell'Agnello who was in the centre of the area and confidently placed the ball to give Inter the lead. Matos on 11 minutes tried to catch Bardi napping with a volley inside the penalty box, but his effort flew high over the bar. In the 13th minute Matos unleashed a shot from outside the area but Bardi was equal to it. Dell'Agnello almost made it two after 15 minutes, when Romanò crossed accurately for the Inter striker who rose and connected well, but sent the ball just over the crossbar. In the 17th minute Faraoni was unstoppable as he passed Romiti with ease and crossed from the by-line. His cross cut through the six-yard box but there was no team-mate on hand to tap in for goal number two. Meanwhile Fatticcioni had a go at the other end, but his shot was not one to write home about. At this stage it was all Inter: in the 25th minute Denis Alibec sped past his opposite number and when he reached the penalty box, let fly. His left-footed shot was powerful and Romiti managed to divert it onto the post and then pushed it out for a corner. Fiorentina had their first chance on 27 minutes: Carraro picked up a loose ball and found Iemmello, whose header touched the near post before going wide. Natalino in the 44th minute passed to Faraoni as he raced forwards but Seculin came out to collect his low cross. After a minute of added time the whistle blew for the end of the first half.

SECOND HALF – Buso decided to shake things up at half time by introducing Acosty and Masi in place of Matos and Fatticioni and the Viola came out fired up and determined to turn things around. Inter got forward on 55 minutes, with Romanò's shot being put behind. From the resulting corner Fiorentina cleared their lines and immediately hit on the counter: Acosty burst up the pitch but Kysela and Crisetig managed to close him down. Carraro struck a fine freekick on target in the 59th minute, which Bardi covered well. On 61 minutes Benedetti misplaced a pass allowing Seferovic, who had just come on for Salifu, to make a break to the by-line and hit a cross for Iemmello; however, his first touch let him down and Bardi was able to mop up. Faraoni went spectaularly close to doubling the lead in the 68 th minute: after embarking on a 30-yard run he fired a rocket from outside the box that cannoned off the bar with Seculin beaten. Just a few minutes passed though and it was two: Piccini's blatant foul on Jirasek in the area gave the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Dell'Agnello's conversion was impeccable. Fiorentina 0-2 Inter. Bardi made an important save on 76 minutes, when he reacted quickly to keep out Carraro's freekick. A few minutes later Seferovic, under pressure from Benedetti, hit the side-netting from inside the six-yard box. Fiorentina threw more men forward while Inter fell back into tidy defensive lines waiting for the moment to strike on the counter though Bessa, who replaced Dell'Agnello in the 79th minute. Seferovic and Iemmello were frustrated by a solid Nerazzurri defence and a superb Bardi before the Viola's diminishing hopes were finally extinguished a minute into added time, when Accosti's fine shot on the turn ended wide of Bardi's goal. After four minutes of injury time, Rizzoli blew an end to the proceedings. Victory for Inter!

Fiorentina 0-2 Inter
Scorers: 4, 70 (pen) Dell'Agnello

Fiorentina (4-3-3): 1 Seculin; 2 Piccini, 24 Camporese, 5 Fatticcioni (6 Masi, 45), 3 Romiti; 21 Salifu (18 Seferovic, 58), 4 Agyei, 8 Taddei; 11 Matos (7 Acosty Boadu, 45), 9 Iemmello, 10 Carraro.
Unused subs: 12 Miranda Santos, 13 Bagnai, 14 Biondi, 15 Bittante, 16 Panatti, 19 Grifoni.
Coach: Buso.

Inter (4-3-3): 1 Bardi; 8 Natalino, 2 Benedetti, 6 Kysela, 3 Biraghi; 16 Romanò (9 Carlsen, 66), 10 Crisetig, 13 Jirasek; 4 Faraoni, 20 Dell'Agnello (19 Bessa, 79), 18 Alibec.
Unused subs: 21 Gallinetta, 5 Galimberti, 7 Mannini, 14 Knassmullner, 17 Spendlhofer, 22 Lussardi, 23 Tallo.
Coach: Pea.

Referee: Rizzoli di Bologna.
Booked: 29 Faraoni, 63 Alibec, 70 Dell'Agnello, 85 Agyei

• Tweet