Consigli saving his best for last

Azzurrini goalkeeper Andrea Consigli was delighted to collect the Carlsberg Man of the Match award for his performance in Italy's 2-1 win against Sweden on Friday, but he told uefa.com that he is hoping for an even bigger trophy come the end of the month.

'Great satisfaction'
The Atalanta BC goalkeeper kept a clean sheet in Italy's 0-0 draw with Serbia and was on course to do the same against Sweden until Ola Toivonen struck with a minute to play. By then, goals in each half from Mario Balotelli and Robert Acquafresca had already set the Azzurrini on course for their first victory in Group A. "It's a great satisfaction for me," Consigli said. "This is my last opportunity to play a UEFA European Under-21 Championship and receiving this award is a great joy. However, I hope this is only the first trophy before the most important one at the end of the tournament."

'Wonderful game'
The 22-year-old, who earned Italy a point with a great stop from Nenad Tomović against Serbia, was under even more pressure against Sweden, who created numerous opportunities after Balotelli had been sent off in the first half. "It's definitely not easy to play with ten men against a strong team like Sweden," he explained. "However, I think we played a wonderful game. Fortunately we were already leading when Balotelli was sent off."

'Great position'
Italy coach Pierluigi Casiraghi finished the match with a 5-4-0 formation to defend the two-goal lead and the pressure on his back line was intense in the closing stages. "We tried to close down every space and we struggled but we finally managed to bring home three crucial points," Consigli said. "I think the most difficult save was from a deflected shot in the second half. It doesn't really matter, though. I just tried to make my contribution when the defenders weren't able to stop their attackers."

Point required
Italy now only need a point in their last group game against Belarus to book a place in the semi-finals and Consigli believes the victory against Sweden was a huge boost for the team's morale. "We are in a great position right now," he said. "We have to keep our focus and can even start thinking about finishing top of the group."