Stefano Okaka showed his gratitude to Sampdoria coach Sinisa Mihajlovic after scoring the winning goal on his debut for Italy against Albania at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa on Tuesday.
Okaka came off the bench at his home ground to score and give Italy a 1-0 win when his near post header found the net courtesy of a Hamdi Salihi deflection.
Speaking to the Rai Sport after the game, Okaka was pleased to have scored but was well aware of his good fortune.
“My goal? It would have gone in without the deflection,” he said laughing.
The 25-year-old also expressed his surprise at the atmosphere within the stadium despite it being a home game.
“It was strange, we were expecting to see a blue stadium but there were Albanians everywhere.”
The former Roma trainee however was keen to pay tribute to Mihajlovic for giving him another chance in Serie A.
“Mihajlovic has been essential for me, since the first day we have a father-son relationship. He makes me give my best and I will always thank him for that.”
“Having started at 16 years old, I seemed old by the time I was 20 to some people, when many players are just starting their careers at that age.”
“It’s not easy to establish yourself in football nowadays, you have to have the right mindset.”
