Italy U19 coach Francesco Rocca says his team have exceeded expectations after reaching the semifinals of the European Championships.

Rocca explained: "I did my first youth tournament in 1985 with the Under-16s in China. I've seen many since, but an unfortunate constant remains: physically and professionally, we are still a step behind the rest.

"Italy reach an Under-19 Championship with players who are still kids, but the other nations have 19-year-olds who are already fully-formed athletes and men with the business and professionalism you only see in adult age.

"We should start working on physicality from the age of 16 instead of focusing on other aspects."