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Graziano Pelle was delighted to mark his debut with the winning goal as Italy beat Malta 1-0 on Monday night, although he did show some regret at not being given the chance sooner in his career. The Southampton forward's goal proved decisive as Italy made it four wins from four, three of which came in Euro 2016 qualifiers, since Antonio Conte took charge after the World Cup. Conte's arrival has not only brought a new air of enthusiasm to the national team, but it has also provided players like Pelle and Sassuolo's Simone Zaza a chance they had not been presented before. Pelle, 29, admitted he had been waiting for that chance for a long time, even if he had almost given up hope. A superb start to his Premier League career with Saints, in which he has scored four goals, has elevated him into Conte's thinking. "I scored 50 goals in the Netherlands and some of them were spectacular too," he told RAI television. "I knew that I warranted some consideration from the national team coach, but I've got to be honest and confess I never really did expect [Cesare] Prandelli to call me up for the World Cup. "I'm just delighted to have got here now, even if I'm already 29, and scoring is the most important thing for strikers. I scored one and I could have got another, but I'm also very self-critical and know that I can do far better." The win keeps Italy in a share of the Group H lead together with Croatia, the side they host in Milan next month. "We've won four games now and this has got to give us faith and boost our morale," Conte said. "We're now really looking forward to the Croatia game. "We hit the woodwork four times and I know we can do better -- we never ran the risk of conceding but we need to do more in front of goal -- but these nine points in our group give us confidence."
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