The third day of the tenth Pulcino d’Oro International Tournament was full of excitement, twists and turns and matches of the highest technical level, both in the second and third phases of the tournament. The pitches in Levico Terme, Borgo Valsugana and Caldonazzo hosted an intense day, culminating in the selection of the magnificent eight who will compete for the coveted title tomorrow. Meanwhile, the second phase of the Pulcino d’Oro Girls took place on the pitch in Ischia.
In the men’s competition, the surprise came in the tough group featuring Inter, Sporting Lisbon, Barcelona and Roma. In a heart-stopping finale, the Nerazzurri finished top, followed by the Portuguese side, with Barcelona pipped at the post and out of the running for the gold. It was the Catalan group that produced one of the most surprising stories of the day, symbolising the growing competitiveness of the tournament. River Plate, RB Leipzig, Sporting Lisbon, Benfica, Inter, Juventus, Atalanta and Parma have all qualified for the final phase of the Pulcino d’Oro.
On the central pitches of Levico Terme, River Plate dominated their group, leaving Bayer Leverkusen, Pontevalleceppi and Arconvilla behind. Inter also performed excellently, finishing first in their group with Cesena in second place. Atalanta, Montebelluna and Parma shone, with the latter finishing ahead of Barcelona. Juventus led their group ahead of RB Leipzig, Alba Borgo Roma and ViPo Trento. The group won by Middlesbrough over Roma, Trento and Trastevere was also fiercely contested.
Sporting Lisbon also performed well, winning the Portuguese derby against Benfica and finishing with maximum points against Bologna and Dolomiti Bellunesi. On other pitches, there were important victories for Ancona, San Luigi Trieste, San Zeno Verona, Universal Solaro, Junior Jesina Scuola Calcio Roberto Mancini, Football Academy Andria (against Al Wahda from the United Arab Emirates), Polisportiva Calcio Sicilia and Follonica Gavorrano.
The biggest surprise comes from Inter’s group, which prevails in one of the most balanced and spectacular groups in the tournament, with Sporting Lisbon in second place, Barcelona in third – which will now compete in the Silver group – and Roma in fourth. In another high-level group, Argentina’s River Plate shines once again, ahead of RB Leipzig, PSV Eindhoven and Leeds United.
The Pulcino d’Oro Girls tournament, with sixteen teams participating, saw matches of extraordinary technical and competitive level. It was an event of great beauty. Four giants of Italian women’s football will compete for the title: Milan, Inter, Juventus and Roma. In their group, the Rossonere prevailed over their Nerazzurre cousins, with Genoa and Frosinone completing a very balanced group. Roma and Juventus also had an excellent run, getting the better of La Rocca Monselice and Real Sala Bolognese. Padova, Pro Vercelli, Castelnuovo Garda and Cavolano also had positive runs, while Lady Maerne performed well with two teams in two different groups.
