The young 20-year-old striker, Francesco Pio Esposito, remains grounded after scoring his debut goal for the senior Italy national team. He emphasized, “It all happened very quickly, but this should only be the beginning. I don`t like to rest on my laurels.”
The Azzurri got off to a strong start in Estonia, with Moise Kean opening the scoring in just the fifth minute. However, Kean was soon forced off the field due to a sprained ankle.
Mateo Retegui had a mixed performance: although his penalty was saved, he managed to find the net by converting a pass from Riccardo Orsolini.
Esposito made history by scoring his first goal for the main Italy squad. The only goal conceded, which prevented Italy from keeping a clean sheet, came after a mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma, who fumbled a cross directly into the path of Rauno Sappinen.
Esposito Breaks Italy`s Goal Drought
In the locker room, the older Italy players applauded the young footballer.
“I am grateful to the team and the coach for their warm welcome. There is fantastic harmony within our squad, and it makes it easier for all of us to play,” Esposito told Sky Sport Italia. “I am very happy, but the credit goes to my teammates, who created the conditions for me to perform well.”
Kean`s early departure allowed Italy to experiment with a completely new attacking partnership of Retegui and Esposito.
“When two forwards are playing, it`s important to set ego aside and play for each other. Who scores isn`t as important; the main thing is to secure the result as a team,” Esposito noted.
The last few weeks have been remarkable for Esposito, who celebrated his 20th birthday in June. He recently scored his first Serie A goal for Inter, and now his first goal for the senior Italy team.
“I am very emotional; such moments are hard to fully comprehend in the present. Everything happened so rapidly, but this must be the starting point. I am self-critical and don`t like to stop at what I`ve achieved,” he stated. “I dedicate this goal to my family, who has always supported me and helped me reach this objective.”
Italy now has an opportunity to push Israel out of contention for 2026 World Cup qualification. Although catching Norway, with their superior goal difference, seems almost impossible, a playoff spot is still within reach.
“We cannot keep looking back; we need to focus on the upcoming matches and try to perform as well as possible. That`s all we can do now,” concluded Esposito.
