Chaos at San Siro as Esposito misses penalty but Italy beat France 3:1

Chaos reigned at San Siro as Italy beat France 3:1 in a match marked by a dramatic penalty episode and late celebrations. The decisive moments came after a missed spot-kick by Sebastiano Esposito and two quick responses from the Azzurri.

Penalty confusion and a manager's outburst

The turning point arrived in the 60th minute when Italy were awarded a penalty following a foul on Nicolò Cambiaghi inside the box. Sebastiano Esposito—who plays for Inter—stepped up to take the kick instead of his brother Pio, despite shouting instructions to Pio beforehand. Esposito’s shot flew well over the bar and posed no problem for goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

Coach Roberto Mancini reacted angrily from the bench and confronted the substitutes' bench. Broadcaster RAI reported from the pitch that Mancini had not assigned a designated penalty taker in that moment, which helps explain his furious reaction.

Minutes after the miss Mancini made immediate substitutions: both Esposito and Cambiaghi were withdrawn and replaced by Antonio Vergara and Federico Dimarco. Parts of the San Siro crowd whistled Sebastiano as he left the field, while his teammates applauded him — a sign of solidarity within the squad.

The mood swung quickly. Nicolò Barella won possession and Dimarco, who had come on, delivered a precise pass to Davide Frattesi. Frattesi finished clinically to restore the lead, scoring his tenth goal for the national team and putting Italy ahead 2:1.

The game’s final punctuation came from Pio Esposito, who netted the third goal to make it 3:1. Immediately after scoring he ran to embrace his brother Sebastiano and held him in a tight hug, bringing a warm end to an otherwise chaotic sequence.

Earlier, Karik said farewell with an emotional message: "Few people get to experience this and I will be forever grateful!"

Photo: press material from the event