Italy overwhelmed Solomon Islands 5-0 in Brasilia
Degnand Gnonto completed a first-half brace
Solomon Islands' maiden U-17 World Cup match ends in defeat
A trifecta of goals in the first half helped Italy ease past FIFA U-17 World Cup™ debutants Solomon Islands 5-0 on Monday at Brasilia's Estadio Bezerrao. Gli Azzurrini's attacking duo of Degnand Gnonto and Nicolo Cudrig proved too much to handle, combining for scores in the 24th, 29th and 34th minutes to break the game open.
Italy [[flag-ita-xs]]
Gnonto, who is only 15 years old, was lethal running at the Solomons defence on the left flank. In addition to netting a brace, he also assisted on Cudrig's goal. The European runners-up were content with their advantage in the second half, though Franco Tongya and substitute Andrea Capone tacked on two late goals to make the final scoreline read thoroughly decisive.
Solomon Islands [[flag-sol-xs]]
Their first U-17 World Cup match ended in a comprehensive defeat, with Solomon Islands unable to equal the successes of fellow newcomers Angola and Senegal. No10 Raphael Leai shouldered the load of offensive creativity and showed quality in one-on-one situations. Goalkeeper Davidson Malam had plenty of work to do, but managed to flash his skills as a shot-stopper on a few occasions.
Up Next
31 October
Group F [[flag-sol-xs]] Solomon Islands-Paraguay [[flag-par-xs]] (Brasilia/Gama, 17:00 local time) [[flag-mex-xs]] Mexico-Italy [[flag-ita-xs]] (Brasilia/Gama, 20:00 local time)