Kean and Retegui are the starters, but the Inter player is in top form and the coach is determined to field him against Northern Ireland

This isn’t just an opportunity knocking at the door; if anything, it’s the detonator that can blow it down. Pio Esposito returns to the national team with a gentle demeanor and polite speech, but also with the impressive credentials of a striker impossible to ignore: two goals in his last two matches with Inter—the latest coming Sunday evening just a few miles from the Coverciano training center—combined with three goals in five appearances for the Azzurri, spread out diligently throughout the fall, represent a temptation Gattuso wants to take into account ahead of the playoff semifinal against Northern Ireland (here’s our focus on Northern Ireland). In theory, the starting duo consists of Kean and Retegui, who under the new management have produced nine goals during the World Cup qualifiers, earning respect and consistency. In practice, the head coach has been impressed by the youngster’s progress, especially his consistent performance throughout matches, and would be happy to find him a spot on the team: on Thursday in Bergamo, where he had won the ball back in the league to set up Lautaro’s goal, Pio will play. Perhaps not from the start, but he will play.

The pecking order demands respect within a solid and cohesive group that, moreover, has given the newcomer a warm welcome: one need only look at the string of compliments that filled Esposito with joy in the corridors of Coverciano. However, the current situation demands results, which requires bold decisions. And so, between today and tomorrow, the likely starters will have to work hard to fend off the genuine challenges of a credible competitor. Kean has already lost the head-to-head matchup at the Franchi Stadium during Fiorentina vs. Inter, because unlike the opposing striker, he missed a goal he would never have missed in his prime. He has just returned from an injury and doesn’t seem to be in top form yet. Retegui, on the other hand, who was lively and cheerful during yesterday’s afternoon training session, has a small question mark to address: he last played on March 13, before leaving Saudi Arabia and arriving in Florence well ahead of schedule. For a week, he trained alone—or rather, with an Italian Football Federation (FIGC) trainer—without ever being able to practice a tackle, a header, or a shot on goal. Finally, the fourth striker, Scamacca, is injured and will almost certainly not be available at the venue most familiar to Atalanta’s players: in the coming hours, he will decide with coach Gattuso and the medical staff whether to remain with the squad for a potential final.

the rise—  That’s why Esposito, who spent yesterday afternoon relaxing with his Inter teammates at Coverciano and watched training from the sidelines, truly hopes to pick up where he left off: on November 16, during that humiliating evening at San Siro against Norway, he was the only Italian to make us proud, as well as the last to score a goal in the Azzurri jersey. In that match, he started alongside Retegui, drawing the attention of Premier League clubs—namely Arsenal and Newcastle—for the first time. Just think: if he were to do it even once more by June 28, he would join the ranks of legends alongside Giuseppe Meazza and Gianni Rivera, the only players in history to have scored more than three goals for the national team before turning 21; and if he finds the net against Northern Ireland, he’ll become the first ever to do so in three consecutive matches, all while still under 21. If the general perception holds true, Pio is a scoring first-aid kit to be drawn upon in case of need: shake well before use. If subjective impressions are anything to go by, he feels something positive inside him when recalling De Gea’s save that denied him his first Serie A brace in stoppage time on Sunday—and the goal that might have handed the Scudetto to Inter. “I’m a little disappointed,” Esposito said in interviews, “because maybe I could have taken a better shot. Right now I can’t let my imagination run too far ahead, but maybe the right ball will go in on Thursday…” The World Cup dream also hinges on the relentless run of a big, gentle-eyed young man who, in 2006—when Gattuso was parading the trophy—had just learned to walk.