Mixed emotions for the Esposito brothers after the Nations League match between Italy and France. Coach Roberto Mancini decided to start both Sebastiano, on the left wing, and Francesco Pio, as centre-forward, from the first minute in the attacking trio.
Between the two, it was undoubtedly Pio Esposito, the Inter player, who shone. He first scored the temporary 1-1 equaliser in the 26th minute, starting the comeback of the “Azzurri” after an error by Donnarumma. Then, in the 75th minute, he converted a penalty to make it 3-1, sealing the victory.
From the penalty spot, fortune was not the same for his older brother, Sebastiano. The Sassuolo footballer sent a penalty well wide in the 60th minute, which could have given Italy the advantage against France. Just two minutes later, Mancini decided to replace Sebastiano, bringing Vergara onto the pitch, who then won the penalty for Pio’s second goal.
The centre-forward of the national team, born in 2005, at just 21 years and 137 days old, has already scored nine goals for the senior side in only 14 appearances. This is a very important statistic, as the last “Azzurri” player to maintain this average over his first 14 matches for Italy was Christian Vieri in 1998.
Source: La Gazzetta dello Sport