An overwhelming Italy Under 21 team buried their peers from San Marino under a heavy 7-0 resuming the path towards the qualifications for the European championships of the category. The great star of the match was the centre forward Francesco Pio Esposito, on loan to Spezia from Inter and author of four goals.
At the end of the match, interviewed by the FIGC federal channels, the technical commissioner of the Azzurrini, Carmine Nunziata, spoke: “At the beginning we struggled a bit, then little by little we started to play better and be faster. The games must be played from start to finish: I always expect the same desire and determination because only in this way can you get used to playing at a certain intensity. We are happy with the victory and for not having received cards with the players who were cautioned, the only disappointment is the physical problems of Fazzini and Baldanzi who we hope to recover. Esposito? He needed this type of game: he scored a lot but his teammates were also good at supplying him”.
ITALY-SAN MARINO 7-0 (2-0 pt)
Markers: 35′ pt Bove (I), 38′ aut. Matteoni (S), 12′, 31′ and 33′ and 46′ st Esposito (I), 36′ Raimondo (I)
ITALY (4-3-1-2): Desplanches (from 34′ st Zacchi); Savona, Coppola, Ghilardi, Ruggeri; Bove (from 34′ st Pisilli), Bianco, Fazzini (from 14′ pt Ndour); Baldanzi (from 24′ pt Raimondo); Esposito, Gnonto (from 1′ st Ambrosino). Subs: Zanotti, Pirola, Fabbian, Bonfanti. Coach Nunziata
SAN MARINO (3-5-2): Amici; Guidi (from 1′ st Cervellini), Matteoni, M. Sancisi (from 34′ st S. Gasperoni); Giocondi, N. Sancisi (from 10′ st Chiaruzzi), Tomassini, Toccaceli (from 1′ st Casadei), Riccardi; M. Gasperoni (from 27′ st Pasolini), Santi. Subs: Borasco, Ciacci, Giambalvo, Ciacci. Coach Cecchetti
Referee: Radina (Czechia). Assistants: Hajek-Volf (Czechia). Fourth official: Stary (Czechia)
Notes: Riccardi (S), Giocondi (S), Ghilardi (I), Raimondo (I), Santi (S), Matteoni (S) cautioned