There were triumphs for Udinese’s U13 and U16 sides at the 23rd edition of the Gallini Cup over the weekend.
The prestigious international tournament – which was run in partnership with the Via di Natale charity organisation – usually takes place over Easter weekend and had to be postponed due to the pandemic, but the organisers were determined to ensure it could go ahead before the official end of the 2020/21 season.
The Gallini Cup was the first international tournament granted authorisation to take place in Italy since the pandemic, allowing dozens of young players from the local area, Austria and Poland to come together for a celebration of football.
Udinese U16s were convincing winners in their age group, winning every game along the way to the final, which pitted them against Pordenone. A goal from Marco De Crescenzo was enough for the Bianconeri to secure a 1-0 win and lift the trophy, with midfielder Shenol Demiroski also being named player of the tournament.
The U13s also won all of their games on the way to the title, beating Manzanese 2-0 in the final courtesy of goals from Antonio Pirro and Matteo Pressello. Pirro was also named player of the tournament.
There was disappointment in the final for the U14 side, who had beaten Pordenone in a derby clash in the semi-final to set up a showdown with RedBull Salzburg. However, the Austrian side had too much for the young Bianconeri, who slipped to a 3-1 defeat and had to settle for the runners-up medals. Udinese No.10 David Pejicic was named player of the tournament.
The U15s were unable to reach their final in their age group, losing to Pordenone in the semis, but they did beat San Dona in the third-place play-off to secure a bronze medal. Polish outfit KS Olimpijczyk Kwakowo won the U15 title, though Udinese’s Tommaso Dario won the top scorer gong after finding the net eight times.