Italy defeated Greece 1:0 in Crete: Esposito decided a tough friendly match in Heraklion
Italy beat Greece 1:0 on Sunday, 7 June 2026, at the Pancretan Stadium in Heraklion in an international friendly match that, according to reports from the Greek and Italian football federations, had a distinctly competitive rhythm despite not carrying points. The only goal was scored by Pio Esposito in the 18th minute, after a move down the left side and a shot that, with a deflection off a Greek defender, ended up behind Odysseas Vlachodimos. The match was played in Crete, in the evening slot, in front of a crowd that followed the game as an important test for teams seeking confirmation of form before new official obligations. Greece tried to respond in the closing stages, especially after Italy were reduced to ten men, but failed to turn pressure into a goal. The minimal victory thus went to the Italian national team, which, as FIGC states, also finished its second consecutive test with a 1:0 result.
Italian high pressing directed the first half
According to the report by the Hellenic Football Federation, Greece did not find a rhythm in the first half that would have allowed them to seriously threaten the Italian goal. The home national team, led by Ivan Jovanović, entered the match with three central defenders, but that setup did not bring the necessary control in midfield. In its analysis, the Greek federation points out that Italy pressed high in that part of the match, won the first balls and closed well the spaces through which the hosts tried to build attacks. Greece tried to move forward through transition, with Christos Tzolis the liveliest player in the attacking area, but such attempts too often remained without the final pass. Italy, on the other hand, looked more concrete and more secure in the phase of gaining space.
The first bigger situation came as early as the 4th minute, when Jeff Ekhator, according to the Greek report, shot wide from a good position. Silvio Baldini’s Italian team continued to play bravely, with many young players in the starting lineup, and the reward came in the 18th minute. Ekhator took part in the move down the left side, the ball came to Esposito, and the Inter striker beat Vlachodimos with a right-footed shot for 0:1. According to the FIGC report, the shot was deflected, which made the Greek goalkeeper’s reaction even more difficult. The same source states that Tzolis remained Greece’s main threat in the first half, while Esposito had another chance before the break, but Vlachodimos stopped his attempt this time.
Greece sought balance, Italy hit the woodwork
The second half opened with another big Italian chance. Luka Koleosho, one of the most active Italian players after the break, hit the crossbar in the 47th minute after Italy again quickly reached the final third. That detail could have steered the match toward a more convincing advantage for the visitors, but Greece remained in the game and tried to change the balance of power with adjustments to their shape. According to EPO’s analysis, after the break the home team reduced the number of players in the central defensive line, while Panagiotis Retsos moved to right-back and Georgios Vagiannidis took up a higher position. Such a change brought somewhat better balance and allowed Greece to move out of Italy’s pressure more easily.
The key moment for the closing stages happened in the 68th minute, when Luca Reggiani was sent off for a foul on Tasos Douvikas. According to FIGC’s official report, Israeli referee Yigal Frid judged that the foul had stopped a clear goalscoring opportunity, so the Italian defender had to leave the game only 13 minutes after coming on from the bench. Baldini then reacted more cautiously, strengthened the defensive structure and tried to reduce the space between the lines. Although Greece had a numerical advantage, Italy did not collapse under pressure, but continued to control the match through a tightly positioned defence and timely jumps toward the ball.
Greece came closest to equalising through Christos Zafeiris, whose powerful shot from the right side of the penalty area hit Gianluigi Donnarumma’s post. In the final minutes Vangelis Pavlidis, who had come off the bench, had a good situation in front of the Italian goal, but Donnarumma, according to reports by both federations, reacted in time and prevented a goal. Greece continued to press in stoppage time, but the Italian defence withstood the last crosses and preserved the minimal lead. Such an outcome confirmed the basic impression of the match: Italy had a clearer plan and more dangerous chances for most of the encounter, while Greece showed their best part only after the Italian player’s dismissal.
Esposito continued his run, Baldini emphasised the value of young players
Pio Esposito was the central figure of the match because, according to FIGC, for the second time in five days he decided an Italian victory by a 1:0 result. The Italian federation highlighted that he had done the same in the match against Luxembourg, giving this national-team action a clear individual story. After the match, according to FIGC’s publication, Esposito stressed that victory with the team was more important to him than personal performance, with the message that the Italians treated the two tests with maximum seriousness, and not as ordinary friendly encounters. In the same report, the federation stated that this was the striker’s fifth goal in an Italy shirt before his 21st birthday, which put him level in a special statistical category with Gianni Rivera, while Giuseppe Meazza is ahead of them.
After the match, Silvio Baldini, according to FIGC, spoke about trust in the young group and the importance of discipline in the development of the national team. His statement that he wanted the players to gain confidence describes well the way Italy approached the encounter: with plenty of energy, aggression and readiness to defend the result in unfavourable circumstances. The Italian team was not assembled as a routine friendly combination, but as an opportunity to give younger players minutes in a demanding away environment. It was precisely the final half-hour with a man down that showed how important collective organisation had been. According to the Italian report, the coach also connected the victory with the broader work of the national-team system, especially on the day when Italy’s U-17 national team won the European title.
Greece remained without the final shot, but received useful indicators
For Greece, the defeat was frustrating because the hosts reached the closing stage with an extra player and several situations that could have brought an equaliser. In its report, the Hellenic Football Federation assessed that the team found its rhythm only near the end, but did not have enough time or precision for a turnaround. It is especially emphasised that Greece did not create a real chance in the first half, which is an important warning for Ivan Jovanović’s national team. The high Italian press exposed problems in moving the ball from defence toward midfield, and the initial system with three central defenders did not provide the expected stability. After the adjustments in the second half the impression was better, but concreteness in the final phase was lacking for a positive result.
One of the positive notes for the home national team was the debut appearance of Alexandros Kyziridis, a player of Scottish side Hearts, which EPO confirmed in its official report. In friendly matches such appearances are important because they give the coaching staff a broader picture of the squad’s possibilities, especially in a period when national teams are preparing for a new cycle of official matches. Greece also received in this duel a clear confirmation of how much they need more automatisms against teams that press high when playing out with the ball. At the same time, the final twenty minutes showed that the team can create pressure when it has more players in higher zones and when it accelerates the flow of the ball toward the flanks. That will not ease the defeat, but it provides material for analysis before the continuation of the national-team programme.
Pancretan Stadium as an important stage for the meeting of Greece and Italy
The match was played at the Pancretan Stadium, also known as Pankritio Stadium, in Heraklion on Crete. According to data from the organisation for sports development in Heraklion, the stadium has a capacity of 26,240 spectators and is a multifunctional sports complex that was part of the football programme of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. The choice of Crete itself gave the encounter additional local importance, because major national-team matches on the island attract special attention outside the usual football centres. In its ticket-sales announcement, EPO stated that the match was scheduled for 7 June at 22:00 local time and that tickets were being sold through the official channels PAME ETHNIKI and Ticketmaster. The Greek federation also announced then that it was a new chapter in the long history of meetings between Greece and Italy.
In its preview of the match, FIGC pointed out that the duel in Heraklion was the first meeting of these national teams on Crete according to the Italian record of head-to-head matches. The Italian federation also recalled that the previous match between the two national teams had been played on 12 October 2019 at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, when Italy won 2:0 with goals from Jorginho and Federico Bernardeschi and secured qualification for the European Championship. That context does not change the friendly character of the encounter in Heraklion, but it explains why the match carried more weight than an ordinary summer test. Greece and Italy have a history of head-to-head meetings that includes different competitive periods, and the new duel was played at a moment when both national teams are seeking stability and a clearer development direction. The minimal result further underlined tactical caution and the importance of individual details.
Lineups, substitutions and official match details
According to FIGC’s official report, Greece started in a 3-4-1-2 shape with Vlachodimos in goal and Retsos, Hatzidiakos and Koulierakis in the back line. In midfield were Vagiannidis, Triantis, Mouzakitis and Kyriakopoulos, while Tzolis played behind the attacking pair Masouras – Douvikas. Rota, Androutsos, Tsimikas, Kyziridis, Zafeiris, Tetteh, Pavlidis and Kostoulas came on in the second half. Italy, according to the same source, began in a 4-3-3 formation with Donnarumma in goal, Ahanor, Comuzzo, Chiarodia and Bartesaghi in defence, a midfield of Pisilli – Lipani – Ndour and the attacking trio Koleosho – Esposito – Ekhator. During the match Baldini used Mané, Fini, Reggiani, Favasuli, Dagasso, Camarda and Faticanti.
The refereeing team was led by Yigal Frid from Israel, and according to the FIGC report he was assisted by Talis and Koltunoff, also from Israel. The fourth official was Moschou from Greece, while Bar Natan and Dotan were in charge of VAR. The only goal was recorded in the 18th minute, and the most important disciplinary decision was Reggiani’s dismissal in the 68th minute for a foul judged to have stopped a dangerous situation. Italian players Lipani and Ahanor received yellow cards. Before the start of the match, a minute of silence was held in memory of Marios Oikonomou, the former Greek international with long experience in Italian clubs, whom FIGC said had died after a traffic accident.
What the result means after 90 minutes in Crete
The 0:1 result will not have a direct effect on standings, but it carries a clear sporting message for both national teams. Italy showed that even with a younger lineup they can win away from home, press high and protect a lead in a situation with a man down. That is especially important for Baldini because, according to FIGC, in two tests he received exactly what he was looking for: confidence from young players and confirmation that the team can respond to pressure. Greece, on the other hand, must draw lessons from a weak first half and the fact that they only began to threaten more seriously late on. Jovanović’s staff will have enough material to work on playing out of pressure, the midfield structure and a more efficient final phase.
Ultimately, the match at the Pancretan Stadium was a firm, tactically demanding international test in which one early goal determined the direction of the entire game. Italy won because they opened the encounter better, used one of the early chances and showed defensive stability in the closing stages. Greece stayed close, but spent too long without a clear threat to draw a more favourable result. The minimal margin reflects the balance of power in the match well: Italy were more concrete and more organised, while the hosts only found in the closing stages the pressure that could have changed the outcome. For both national teams, the duel in Crete remains a useful indicator in the continuation of preparations for more demanding competitive obligations.
Sources:
- Hellenic Football Federation / EPO – official match report from Greece - Italy 0:1, description of the course of the encounter, chances and lineups (link)
- Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio / FIGC – official report by the Italian federation on Italy’s victory, Pio Esposito’s goal, Silvio Baldini’s statements and the match record (link)
- UEFA – official page of the Greece - Italy match in the friendlies section, used to verify basic information about the encounter (link)
- Hellenic Football Federation / EPO – announcement of ticket sales for the friendly match at the Pancretan Stadium, match time and organisational information (link)
- FIGC – match preview and ticket-sales announcement for the away sector, used to verify the Italian context of head-to-head meetings and the previous match in 2019 (link)
- Ανάπτυξη Αθλητισμού Ηρακλείου – official data on the Pancretan/Pankritio Stadium, capacity and Olympic role of the stadium (link)