Pio Esposito scored twice as Italy beat France 3-1 in the Nations League on Thursday, earning their first win over Les Bleus on home soil in 64 years. The 21-year-old forward, once tipped as Italy’s next great centre forward, put on a commanding display at San Siro in Milan.
Esposito took his tally to nine goals for Italy in just 14 matches. His performance also went some way towards easing the pain of Italy’s World Cup playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A penalty with a personal edge
Esposito’s second goal came from the penalty spot in the 75th minute, sealing the 3-1 result. It was the first spot kick he had taken since missing one in the penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which saw the Azzurri fail to qualify for a third straight World Cup.
“When I stepped up to the penalty spot, that memory came back to me, but I couldn’t hide for the rest of my life. You have to summon the courage to take them,” Esposito said.
The spot kick carried extra weight for the Esposito family. His older brother, Sebastiano, had missed a penalty 15 minutes earlier, when the score was still 1-1.
“There was also an added responsibility: to make people forget my brother’s mistake,” Pio said. “When he made that mistake, it was tough for me, too, and I had to seal the result for his sake as well.”
A family affair
Italy coach Roberto Mancini appeared as surprised as most inside San Siro when Sebastiano stepped up to take the earlier penalty, which he blazed wide. Mancini confirmed after the match that Pio was top of the penalty takers’ list, with Sebastiano second.
“It was a family thing,” Mancini said with a smile.
When Italy earned the second spot kick, Mancini turned to Sebastiano, who had already been substituted, on the Azzurri bench and jokingly asked whether he wanted to take that one too. Both men laughed.
A remarkable rise
Esposito’s progress has been swift. He was playing in Serie B, on loan at Spezia, until the start of last season, before a breakout campaign back at Inter Milan.
The crowd of nearly 71,500 gave him a standing ovation when he was substituted in stoppage time on Thursday.
Esposito could also be the forward to eventually take over Gigi Riva’s record as Italy’s all-time top scorer. Riva’s mark of 35 goals has stood for 52 years.
“We hope he can score a lot more, because it’s been a lifetime that Gigi Riva is at the top,” Mancini said. “We hope someone surpasses him for the good of the national team.
“Certainly Pio has a great score at the moment, compared to the matches played.”
What comes next
Italy travel to face Belgium next, where a result could seal their place in the quarter-finals as group winners. Belgium beat Italy at home in Mancini’s first match back in charge, but the team has looked transformed since then.
“I am happy that I and we are doing well,” Pio said.