Inter, Volendam and now Cagliari, but always wearing the Italy shirt along the way. Gaetano Oristanio is one of the players Carmine Nunziata is asking quality from as the Azzurrini prepare for their important Euro qualifying match against Norway at the Stadio Druso in Bolzano on Tuesday. The team are currently hard at work in Tirrenia before their departure for South Tyrol on Sunday: “We’re preparing for a decisive match on our journey,” said Oristanio, who found the net in yesterday’s 5-0 win over the U18s. “Whenever I manage to score, it’s always nice. We’d like to thank the U18s for this opportunity; training sessions help us to get to know each other better. Goals are important whatever the age category, but it’s something I try to think about as little as possible while also hoping that more will come. The attitude of the team is what counts.”

At club level, Oristanio is trying to help Cagliari turn things around after a difficult start to the season in Serie A: “The path is a difficult one, but we’re working hard. We can’t give it too much thought and must instead continue to work to get back on our feet, also keeping in mind that our fixture list has been tough.”  In Claudio Ranieri, a very experienced head is at the helm: “Everyone knows the Coach’s history. It’s an honour to be coached by him.”

Before making his return to Italy, Oristanio, who developed in Inter’s youth ranks, spent two years at Volendam in the Netherlands. Moving abroad opens up a lot of possibilities and helps you grow on both a human and sporting level. It’s a challenge that not everyone opts for or wants to do, but I’d recommend other young players to do it if the opportunity arises. Sampdoria goalkeeper Filip Stankovic played alongside Oristanio for the Dutch team: “It helped that he was there. Obviously, you experience a change in terms of culture, lifestyle and language, but the most important thing is to immediately adapt out on the pitch and understand the needs of the team.”

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), Filippo Rinaldi (Olbia), Gioele Zacchi (Giana Erminio)
Defenders: Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Diego Coppola (Verona), Daniele Ghilardi (Sampdoria), Gabriele Guarino (Empoli), Michael Olabode Kayode (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Pirola (Salernitana), Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), Mattia Zanotti (St. Gallen)
Midfielders: Tommaso Baldanzi (Empoli), Alessandro Bianco (Reggiana), Edoardo Bove (Roma), Cesare Casadei (Leicester), Giovanni Fabbian (Bologna), Samuel Giovane (Ascoli), Fabio Miretti (Juventus), Cher Ndour (Paris Saint-Germain), Matteo Prati (Cagliari)
Forwards: Giuseppe Ambrosino (Catanzaro), Francesco Pio Esposito (Spezia), Sebastiano Esposito (Sampdoria), Gaetano Pio Oristanio (Cagliari)

 

2025 UEFA EURO UNDER 21 QUALIFYING - GROUP A

Friday 13 October
14:00 Latvia vs. Republic of Ireland 
18:45: Turkey vs. San Marino

Tuesday 17 October
14:00 Latvia vs. Turkey
17:45: ITALY vs. Norway (Bolzano)

Standings (number of games played in brackets): Norway (2) and Republic of Ireland (2) 6, Italy (2) and Latvia (3) 4, Turkey (2) and San Marino (2) 0

ITALY’S CALENDAR

Tuesday 17 October (17:45): Italy vs. Norway (Bolzano)
Thursday 16 November: San Marino vs. Italy
Tuesday 21 November: Republic of Ireland vs. Italy
Friday 22 March 2024: Italy vs. Latvia
Tuesday 26 March 2024: Italy vs. Turkey
Thursday 5 September 2024: Italy vs. San Marino
Tuesday 10 September 2024: Norway vs. Italy
Tuesday 15 October 2024: Italy vs. Republic of Ireland