Kean out to break records after netting maiden Italy goal

Moise Kean is out to break records with Italy after scoring his first international goal in the Azzurri’s 2-0 win over Finland.

Roberto Mancini’s side took the lead early on in their opening Euro 2020 qualifier thanks to Nicolo Barella’s maiden Italy strike, with Juventus youngster Kean – on his first competitive start – making sure of the win in the 74th minute.

In the process, Kean became the youngest player to score for Italy since Bruno Nicole in 1958, and the 19-year-old insisted that he will break more records with the Azzurri.

“More than being happy, I find it extra motivation to keep working hard,” Kean told Rai Sport.

“There are many more records for me to beat and I intend to beat them.

“I always try to be ready and train regularly so that I’m prepared when the time comes. When I got the call, I was fired up, excited, happy, eager to show what I could do.

“Obviously, training alongside my team-mates at Juventus, including Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s impossible not to learn every day.”

48 and counting!@azzurri haven’t lost a single competitve home game in the 21st century (aka since Moise Kean was born!) pic.twitter.com/lF3N2aYFEo

— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) March 23, 2019

Kean made his Juve debut in 2016, spending last season on loan at Verona before returning to Turin for this campaign, in which he has made seven appearances across all competitions.

Mancini talked Kean up in his pre-match news conference despite his inexperience, and the Azzurri coach – who also handed Roma prodigy Nicolo Zaniolo a debut – had no doubt the teenager would repay his faith.

“Kean has quality, enormous potential and it all depends on him,” Mancini told Rai Sport.

“It’s not difficult to see talent in Kean and Zaniolo, so it’s not a risk to pick them.

“We have a lot of work to do, but it’s natural after five months that we’d make a few mistakes. We need to keep working, aware that every match is difficult.”