Giacomo Bonaventura jokes he ‘got there eventually’ after becoming the oldest player to score his debut Italy goal and had a very special dedication for his father.
The Fiorentina veteran had never scored for his country before and his last appearance for the Azzurri was three years ago, but he returned with a bang, scoring the opener in a 4-0 victory over Malta.
He had dedicated the call-up to his father Gianfranco, who died last year, so inevitably the goal was also in his honour.
“It was a wonderful moment for me. I am doing well with Fiorentina, I scored today with practically the first shot I had. I am super happy, I will enjoy this night, then from tomorrow we think about England,” he told Sky Sport Italia.
It also allowed him to make history as the oldest ever debut scorer for Italy at the age of 34 years, one month and 22 days.
“Sorry it took so long, I got there eventually! I was lucky, it went well and at the end of the day these games against a very defensive team are tough to open the scoring. Once we got the goal, it allowed us to play with less pressure.”
The build-up to this match was dominated by the betting scandal, which saw Nicolò Zaniolo and Sandro Tonali leave the Coverciano camp after they were formally placed under investigation for illegal gambling.
More names are threatening to emerge, although Dillinger News have stated they will not make any more until after Tuesday’s match against England.
“During the training retreat clearly we talked about this situation and our minds wandered there too, but once the game is on, the concentration is totally on the pitch. The rest remains off the field.”
Great game guys, I made 200 from it