Francesco Pio Esposito scores for the second straight match as Italy’s youthful squad defeats Greece despite playing more than half an hour with ten men.
Italy national football team completed a successful international window under Silvio Baldini, defeating Greece national football team 1-0 thanks to another decisive goal from Francesco Pio Esposito.
After beating Luxembourg by the same scoreline a few days earlier, Baldini’s young Italy side once again impressed with its organization, energy, and maturity. The victory was particularly notable considering that the squad was largely composed of Under-21 players facing a senior national team on the road.
Baldini made two changes from the previous match, handing starts to Ahanor in defense and Ekhator in attack. The adjustments worked immediately as Italy took control of possession and dictated the tempo from the opening whistle.
The breakthrough arrived in the 18th minute and, unsurprisingly, it came through Esposito. The Inter striker continued his remarkable scoring streak, producing the type of finish expected from an elite center forward. After intelligent movement inside the penalty area, Esposito calmly converted to score his third consecutive goal for Italy when starting a match.
Greece struggled to create meaningful opportunities throughout the first half, while Italy’s understanding and chemistry — developed over years together at youth level — remained evident across the pitch.
The Azzurri nearly doubled their lead shortly after halftime when Luis Koleosho struck the crossbar with a brilliant effort. However, the match took a dramatic turn when substitute Reggiani was shown a straight red card for pulling down Tasos Douvikas as the Greek forward attempted to break clear toward goal.
The dismissal left Italy with ten men for the final stretch, but Baldini’s team responded admirably. Comuzzo and Chiarodia anchored a disciplined defensive display, while midfielders Niccolò Pisilli and Lipani worked tirelessly to close spaces and protect the lead.
Greece came closest to an equalizer when Zafeiris hit the post, but Gianluigi Donnarumma remained composed and provided leadership during the closing minutes to help Italy preserve another clean sheet.
The result capped an encouraging week for Baldini, whose youthful squad collected two victories without conceding a goal, providing plenty of optimism for the future of Italian football.
Match Report
Greece 0-1 Italy
Scorers:
18’ Francesco Pio Esposito (Italy)
Greece (3-4-2-1)
Vlachodimos; Retsos, Hatzidiakos, Koulierakis (46’ Rota); Vagiannidis (76’ Tetteh), Mouzakitis (76’ Zafeiris), Triantis (62’ Androutsos), Kyriakopoulos (62’ Tsimikas); Tzolis (87’ Pavlidis); Masouras (62’ Kyziridis), Douvikas (87’ Kostoulas).
Head Coach: Ivan Jovanović.
Italy (4-3-3)
Donnarumma; Ahanor (46’ Mané), Comuzzo (55’ Reggiani), Chiarodia, Bartesaghi; Pisilli, Lipani (74’ Dagasso), Ndour; Koleosho (87’ Faticanti), Francesco Pio Esposito (87’ Camarda), Ekhator (46’ Fini, 74’ Favasuli).
Head Coach: Silvio Baldini.
Referee: Yigal Frid (Israel)
Yellow Cards: Lipani, Ahanor, Favasuli
Red Cards: Reggiani
