Jorge Alastuey scored the only goal in Napoli U19’s 1-0 victory over Reggina U19 in the Second Round of the Coppa Italia Primavera.
Lineup
As he often did in the UEFA Youth League and in the previous round of the Coppa Italia, Nicolò Frustalupi rotated his entire squad compared to the team he fielded in Napoli’s 1-0 defeat to Hellas Verona.
(3-4-2-1) Turi; Pontillo, Nosegbe, D’Avino; Giannini, Lettera, Alastuey, Marchisano; Russo, Pesce; Sahli
Match
Napoli were the more positive side and created most of the chances in the first half. Matteo Marchisano got Napoli’s best chance at the half-hour mark, after Antonio Pesce failed to convert crosses from Enrico Giannini and Matteo Marchisano from either side of the pitch.
Giannini’s cross was cleared by Reggina goalkeeper Antonio Lagonigro. The rebound fell to Marchisano, who carried forward before firing on target, but Lagonigro pushed the shot aside.
The Azzurrini continued to push forward in the second half, often creating chances from the cross. Though Marchisano and Pasquale Pontillo both had chances, Jorge Alastuey was Napoli’s most dangerous player, and the Spaniard was rewarded for his efforts.
After having two attempts early in the half – one that missed the target and another that was stopped by Lagonigro – Alastuey opened the scoring in the 71st minute. The midfielder cleaned up the loose ball in a scrum after a Napoli free kick, with the help of a deflection off of Reggina left back Antonio Saba.
Though he wasn’t tested often, Claudio Turi stepped up when he was called upon, including making an important save on Filippo Latella in the 77th minute.
In the end, Alastuey’s goal was enough to see Napoli U19 through to the Round of 16, where they will clash with Juventus.
Post-Match
Frustalupi addressed the media after the match.
“I’m happy, especially for the guys who deserve to make this showcase of the second round. Today I changed a lot, as I had also done in the other previous Coppa Italia match. It was a good performance. It is clear that the level of Primavera 2 is much lower so I expected to be able to pass.”
