RAI Sport pundit Daniele Adani trolled Erling Haaland after Francesco Pio Esposito’s opening goal in Italy-Norway: ‘Do you know him now?’
Italy host Norway at San Siro this evening in the final matchday of the Group I European World Cup qualifiers.
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Click here to follow the build-up and live action from Milan on the Football Italia LIVEBLOG.
Pio Esposito scored again for Italy
Francesco Pio Esposito scores for Italy against Norway in the 2026 World Cup qualifier (@azzurri)
Inter striker Pio Esposito gave the Azzurri the lead after just 11 minutes, becoming the fourth-youngest player to score his third goal for La Nazionale after Giuseppe Meazza, Mario Corso and Gianni Rivera (via Opta).
Norway and Manchester City striker Haaland had raised eyebrows on the eve of the game by saying that he “didn’t know” the promising Inter striker, so Adani, a former Serie A defender, hit back at him during tonight’s live commentary.
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As reported by TMW, Adani said after seeing Esposito score: “Dear Erling, do you know him now or not?”
A simple win tonight is not enough for Italy to top Group I, as the Azzurri would need a victory by nine goals to overtake Norway and get direct qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
What did Haaland say about Esposito?
OSLO, NORWAY – NOVEMBER 13: Erling Haaland of Norway celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Norway and Estonia at Ullevaal Stadion on November 13, 2025 in Oslo, Norway. (Photo by Marius Nordnes / Nordnes Foto/Getty Images)
“To be honest, I don’t know much about him. Maybe they’ll kill me for saying this, but when you play for Italy, you must have quality. And you need that same quality when you play for Inter, that’s how it is.”
