0-1: Young people guide Italy in Greece after a year to forget

Italy closed a season to be forgotten this Sunday after being left out of a World Cup for the third consecutive time with a victory in a friendly against Greece (0-1) in which the young people, with spirit, marked the path for the future of the “Azzurra”, with Pio Esposito as the protagonist.

Silvio Baldini, interim coach, took advantage of the situation of the national team and his status as coach of the U-21 team to give an opportunity to the youngest players, to the future of Italy. The transalpine quarry is one of the hopes in a country that is going through a serious football crisis. An example of this was the European title that the under-17 team won this Sunday.

Despite the renewal of the squad for these friendlies, of which nineteen of the twenty-four debuted with the senior team in a call-up, the role once again fell on Pio Esposito, Inter Milan forward, one of the players with the most experience in the Italian shirt among those called up, along with Ginaluigi Donnarumma.

The striker, who already scored in the previous friendly against Luxembourg, put Italy ahead by taking advantage of an assist from Jeff Ekhator, a 19-year-old Genoa attacker, in the 18th minute. Italy showed a good image in the first half, and dominated a good part of the game, generating several dangerous chances.

After the break, and despite Greece’s timid attempts to react, Italy maintained its lead, although without managing to extend it. In the 68th minute, the expulsion of Dortmund’s Italian defender, Luca Reggiani, conditioned the final stretch of the match. It was his debut, which saw his debut marred by the red card just thirteen minutes after taking the field.

From that moment, Greece carried out a siege against the area of ​​captain Donnarumma, the oldest, with a goal in the 83rd minute included. Finally, they held on and won a fundamental victory, especially for the spirit of the team, to give confidence to those who are coming and to hit the table for the renewal of the team and the ‘calcio’ in the coming months.

The “Azzurra” said goodbye to the playing fields this Sunday two weeks before the elections of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), key for the future. His absence from the World Cup was a setback for fans who have not seen their team in the biggest event in world football for twelve years and who will have to wait at least another four.

The next time Italy plays a match will be on September 25 in the Nations League against Belgium, a test for the four-time world champion. On this Sunday’s day, the selection was “a hope for the future and a reflection to be made”, according to what the Italian public television commentators declared at the end of the match.