Greece vs Italy

Italy claimed a narrow win over Greece at Pankritio Stadium in Heraklion, with Francesco Pio Esposito's composed 17th-minute finish — set up by Jeff Ekhator — settling this international friendly on a sweltering afternoon in Crete. Italy's night grew complicated in the 68th minute when Luca Reggiani was sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity as the last man, handing Greece a numerical advantage for the final quarter. The hosts pressed hard and Christos Zafeiris rattled the post in the 84th minute, before Gianluigi Donnarumma produced a crucial stop to deny Vangelis Pavlidis with two minutes remaining. With neither side having qualified for the 2026 World Cup, this was always a developmental exercise — but it was Italy, under interim boss Silvio Baldini, who left Crete with the points and a morale boost, while Ivan Jovanović's Greece end the window without a win.