Leonardo Semplici was delighted with his boys’ display after watching them register a 2-0 first-leg victory at Juventus in the Primavera Coppa Italia semi-finals.

The U19 coach said: “We put in an absolutely top-notch performance today. The lads excelled themselves to overcome an extremely strong side like Juventus: they kept hold of the ball well and played some great stuff. We wanted to give a good account of ourselves and try to win it. We managed to do just that and now we have a slight advantage as we try to reach an important target. We mustn’t get carried away though, because it’s only the first half of a tie that lasts 180 minutes and Juventus are sure to go into the return leg with the bit between their teeth.”