Juventus striker Moise Kean made his return to the Italian national team in the 4-0 pummeling of Malta in the Euro 2024 qualifier at the San Nicola Stadium in Bari.
The 23-year-old started the match as a left winger in Luciano Spalletti’s 4-3-3 formation, joining Domenico Berardi and Giacomo Bonaventura upfront. Bianconeri midfielder Manuel Locatelli pulled the strings as a deep-lying playmaker.
While he wasn’t on target, Kean provided the assist for Giacomo Bonaventura’s fabulous opener.
Nevertheless, Spalletti was above all impressed by the forward’s work rate. The former Napoli coach congratulated the player for his performance.
“As a winger, Kean had a great game,” said the Italy coach in his post-match interview with Rai via ilBianconero.
“He did well to mark his man and make his physicality felt. I congratulated him for his display. He fought for every ball and then came very close to scoring.”
The former Everton man remained on the pitch for 79 minutes before leaving his spot for Atalanta striker Gianluca Scamacca.
Following Bonaventura’s opener, Berardi scored a personal brace while Davide Frattesi came off the bench to snatch an injury-time goal to make it 4-0.
The Azzurri remain second in the group with 10 points from five fixtures. Next up is a crucial showdown against England at Wembley on Tuesday.
Finishing in second place would suffice to secure a spot in the tournament’s finals next summer. However, the Azzurri must ward off competition from Ukraine who have the same point tally, albeit with an additional match played.
