Italy’s Luca Reggiani sent off on senior international debut
The 18-year-old centre-back was adjudged to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity, marking a difficult start to his senior career for the Italian national side.
Luca Reggiani’s senior international debut for Italy ended abruptly on Sunday evening, with the Borussia Dortmund defender receiving a straight red card just 13 minutes after entering the pitch. The incident occurred during a friendly match against Greece, where the 18-year-old centre-back was adjudged to have denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.
The dismissal followed a long ball played by Greece, which allowed striker Anastasios Douvikas to break through. Reggiani brought down Douvikas, preventing him from reaching the ball. Referee Yigal Frid determined the foul constituted a denial of a clear goalscoring opportunity and issued the red card to the young defender.
Reggiani’s departure marked a sharp contrast to the rest of the squad’s selection dynamics. Fabio Chiarodia, a defender from Borussia Mönchengladbach, started for the second consecutive match and played the full 90 minutes for Italy. Meanwhile, Samuele Inacio, who had made his Italy debut on the preceding Wednesday in a match against Luxembourg, remained on the bench for the entire duration of the Greece fixture.
Borussia Dortmund teammate Filippo Mané entered the match for the final 45 minutes. His appearance marked his second senior cap for the Italian national team, providing a brief period of continuity for the squad after Reggiani’s early exit.
The source material does not provide the final score of the friendly between Italy and Greece. The match served primarily as a platform for squad evaluation, highlighted by the premature conclusion of Reggiani’s first appearance at the senior international level.
