Esposito excels for Inter and could banish the fear stalking Italy before playoff | Nicky Bandini

Inter dropped more points at Fiorentina but young striker showed yet again that he can step up and deliver for club and country

Is Francesco Pio Esposito immune to The Fear? Even as Inter threw away another two points on Sunday night, drawing 1-1 at Fiorentina and giving fresh encouragement to their rivals in a title race that was supposed to have been done and dusted by the end of February, their 20-year-old striker remained untouched by it.

He opened the scoring inside the first minute at the Stadio Artemio Franchi, rewarding Nicolò Barella’s cross with a firm header past David De Gea. When the ball reached him again in the dying seconds of injury time, Esposito once again met the occasion, keeping his feet as Luca Ranieri grabbed at him with both hands, and turning brilliantly to fire towards the bottom corner. This time, however, the goalkeeper was equal to it.