San Siro turned off? Pio Esposito lights it up. This is how he bewitched the Nerazzurri Milan.

Who knows how Pio Esposito imagined his debut as a starter at San Siro when he arrived on the Nerazzurri planet at just 9 years old. It was certainly a celebration, with tens of thousands of fans in attendance making noise (also) for him. It didn't exactly go that way due to the well-known non-football events involving Nerazzurri supporters' groups and the resulting "silent protest," but there was one exception. And it pointed to Pio Esposito. Because in a San Siro that was sadly silent as always, the only timid chants from the stands were of his name. But not only that: the young Nerazzurri striker, for the entire 77 minutes he played before making way for Bonny, had nearly 140,000 eyes on him. More precisely, all of the 68,852 fans in attendance at the Meazza.

The stadium was seething as soon as Esposito touched the ball: loud applause from every corner, deep sighs after all of Pio's (few) attempts that went wide of Sassuolo's goal, the general hope that at least one of those long-range slaps would pierce Muric, the opponent of the day. One in particular, the only one from inside the Neroverdi penalty area, the overhead kick that stopped space and time: the ball in toward the far post, Dimarco's touch to bring back a lopsided cross, Pio's overhead kick, and the Sassuolo goalkeeper performed a miracle. San Siro froze there, just like Esposito's heart, ready to explode with joy. But there's plenty of time for a 20-year-old. "He can handle the pressure and the duels," Chivu said of him, "he complements Thuram, Pio can do everything." The goal is still pending, but the feeling is that it will come soon.