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64 days after the disappointment in Zenica, Italy got back to winning ways with a 1-0 victory over Luxembourg, showcasing some of the country's most promising young talents. It was further proof that Italy is not short of gifted players – they simply need to be trusted. Interim coach Silvio Baldini handed debuts to 15 players, eight of them in the starting XI, in a friendly dominated by the Azzurri and settled by a goal from Pio Esposito, the standout performer on the night. Despite being born in 2005, he was paradoxically one of the veterans in a squad with an average age of 20 years and six months (the average age of the starting line-up was 21 years and 354 days).
“I’m very satisfied,” Baldini said after the match. “I knew these lads had quality and that we would win, even if there were potential difficulties given how many of them were making their debut. More than emotion, I mainly feel the worry about not being useful enough to these players, because when you speak to them you have to tell them what they need to hear.”
“I’m happy I helped the team get the result we wanted because it meant a lot to us,” said Pio Esposito, who became only the third player to score more than three goals for the senior side before turning 21, after Giuseppe Meazza (11 goals) and Gianni Rivera (5). “Even though it was a friendly, we approached it with maximum commitment. It's true that we’re young, but we’re good players and have to prove it game after game. I made my debut a few months ago, and seeing so many of my teammates experiencing that emotion tonight was special."
A NIGHT OF DEBUTS. It was a night of firsts at the Stade de Luxembourg. In his first match as head coach, Silvio Baldini named eight debutants in his starting XI. Alongside Donnarumma, the only players with previous senior international appearances were Pisilli and Pio Esposito, who led the line between Koleosho and Cherubini. Italy adopted an attack-minded approach from the outset and quickly took control of possession. Lipani regularly dropped between the centre-backs during the build-up phase, while the full-backs pushed high into the opposition half.
ESPOSITO THREATENS EARLY. After Ndour fired off target, the Azzurri came close to taking the lead in the 24th minute through Esposito, whose backheel from a Lipani cross finished the wrong side of the post. The Inter striker remained heavily involved. He first sent an overhead kick wide before producing another deft backheel to set up Pisilli, who rounded Moris but failed to hit the target from a tight angle. Baldini's side were controlling proceedings but struggling to consistently bring Koleosho and Cherubini into the game. The Paris FC forward did, however, have a big opportunity shortly before the break after being picked out by Ndour, but his finish lacked the power to beat Moris. The best chance of the half again fell to Esposito, whose close-range effort was blocked by Olesen. It proved to be a warning of what was to come.
PIO MAKES THE DIFFERENCE. Italy began the second half on the front foot and, after just three minutes, Esposito headed home from a Pisilli corner to make it 1-0. It was Pio's fourth goal in eight appearances for Italy – an impressive strike rate by any measure. Having found the breakthrough, the Azzurri appeared to shed some of their caution. Koleosho and Cherubini became more influential, giving Italy greater unpredictability in attack. It was Koleosho who picked out Pisilli unmarked in the middle of the penalty area, only for the Roma midfielder’s effort to come back off the post.
Baldini refreshed the right flank by introducing two more debutants, Fortini and Fini, in place of Favasuli and Cherubini. One of the newcomers, Seydou Fini, almost made an immediate impact but blasted over from an excellent position. More changes followed as fellow debutants Mane, Dagasso and Camarda were introduced. Pisilli had another good opportunity to double the lead before two more newcomers, 2008-born Ahanor and Inacio, were handed their debuts late on. In total, 15 players made their first appearance for Italy – 15 youngsters who will never forget this evening. Every one of them passed the test. On Sunday, Italy will conclude their season in Crete with another friendly that will help lay the foundations for the future.
LUXEMBOURG 0-1 ITALY
LUXEMBOURG (4-5-1): Moris; Jans, Korac, Carlson, Micheal Pinto (66’ Mahmutovic) V. Thill (77’ S. Thill), Martins, Olesen (87’ Goncalves), Moreira (87’ D.Duarte), Bohnert (66’ Kadamani); Sinani (87’ Curci). Subs: Pereira, Fox, Selimovic, Muratovic, Veiga, E. Duarte. Coach: Strasser.
ITALY (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Favasuli (66’ Fortini), Comuzzo (76’ Mane), Chiarodia, Bartesaghi (89’ Ahanor); Pisilli, Lipani (76’ Dagasso), Ndour; Cherubini (66’ Fini), Esposito (76’ Camarda), Koleosho (89’ Inacio). Subs: Palmisani, Daffara, Palestra, Reggiani, Faticanti, Berti, Ekhator Coach: Baldini.
Referee: Kooij (Olanda); Assistants: Fikkert e Kücükerbir (Olanda); Fourth official: Van Der Laan (Olanda); VAR: Brisard (Francia); AVAR: Delajod (Francia).
Goal: 48’ Esposito (I).
Note: Lipani (I) and Carlson (L) booked.