Borussia Dortmund starlet Luca Reggiani made an unceremonious start to his international career with Italy on Sunday. The Azzurris beat Greece in their second friendly match of the month but the occassion was marred by a red card for Reggiani, whose international debut lasted just 13 minutes.
Reggiani gets first Italy cap
Highly rated for his promising displays with Dortmund's youth setup last season, Reggiani was called-up by interm manager Silvio Baldini for this month's double-header against Luxembourg and Greece as Italy were still reeling from the debacle of a third consecutive World Cup qualifier heartbreak.
Leaving out much of the senior players, Baldini chose a young and exuberant squad of many uncapped players waiting to break into the international setup. A handful of them even made their Italy debut last week against Luxembourg, including BVB starlets Samuele Inacio and Filippo Mane.
Reggiani, though, was made to wait. He remained an unused substitute on Wednesday but was handed his first cap on Sunday at the Heraklion when the 18-year-old came on for the injured Pietro Comuzzo in the 55th minute.
Reggiani sent off after 13 minutes into debut
However, his joy was cut short in the 68th minute when the referee brandished a red card to send the teenager for an early bath as Italy were forced to play with 10-men for the last 25 minutes or so.
As a long pass was played in for Anastasios Douvikas to chase, the Como forward was brought down after Reggiani pulled his shirt in what seemed like a denial of a clear-cut chance.
Although the Greek star was only near the halfway line, Reggiani was the last defender there and hence it was a clear foul, prompting referee Yigal Frid to show him the red card.
The BVB youngster doesn't have to worry about missing any World Cup games as Italy failed to qualify but he's set to miss their opening fixture of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League against Belgium in September.
Reggiani among host of Italy players who debuted this month
Luca Reggiani is the latest among a host of players to make their international debuts for Italy. In fact, he's the 17th to earn his first international cap in the side over the last five days.
It includes both other Dortmund players, Inacio and Mane, who came off the bench against Luxembourg. But while Mane was once again subbed in yesterday, Inacio was rested.
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