Federico Chiesa: Church by Name, Savior by Nature

Italy vs Austria, 27th July 2021. The clock nears the 80th-minute mark without a goal to show. Increasing doubts fills the stadium, as it would seem the next goal wins the game. Italy’s nonchalant approach showed the calm and belief in their system. Nevertheless, Marko Arnautović’s offside goal was a false alarm that needed to be addressed – A change was imminent.

Having played with and coached a goalscorer by the name of Chiesa in the past, Mancini seemingly defaulted to another from the bench. On comes Federico Chiesa into the fray in the 84th minute, with the nation hoping he would emulate his father’s goalscoring instincts, despite only scoring one solitary goal prior.

And he did exactly that. In the 95th minute of extra time, Chiesa showed composure to bring the ball down and knock it past a defender, before lashing it in with his left. He slides down the edge of the pitch, raising both arms high above his head and looks up the sky, embracing his nation as he evoked the memory of Enrico Chiesa’s greatness for the Azzurri. Déjà vu indeed. Enrico Chiesa is the past, Federico Chiesa is the present and very much the future.

Federico Chiesa: A Shining Light in Juventus’ Nightmarish Season