Lucca makes Italy World Cup claim, reveals he paid for dinner after penalty kick chaos | OneFootball

Lorenzo Lucca reveals that he paid for a dinner for the Udinese team after taking a penalty kick instead of Florian Thauvin against Lecce and is ‘confident’ Italy will qualify for the 2026 World Cup: ‘No excuses.’

The 24-year-old made two appearances as a substitute in recent Italy games against Germany in the Nations League quarter-finals.

“I’m happy because the coach gave me playing time and I reunited with some teammates from the U21 squad,” he told Gazzetta.

“The national team is a united group with some strong young players. I am confident that we’ll make it to the World Cup; there are no excuses.”

Lucca makes Italy World Cup claim, reveals he paid for dinner after penalty kick chaos

UDINE, ITALY – AUGUST 24: Lorenzo Lucca of Udinese celebrates scoring a goal with teammate Hassane Kamara (#11) during the Serie A match between Udinese and SS Lazio at Stadio Friuli on August 24, 2024 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)

Lucca reunited with Fiorentina striker Moise Kean during the latest international break.

“Moise and I were at Torino together when we were kids, he’s a great friend,” said the Udinese sar.

“It was nice to meet him again and remember the chaos we used to cause in the dressing room. We’ve always stayed in touch; he’s an amazing player.”

Lucca has scored ten goals in Serie A this season and Udinese will meet Inter in the next league game.

“There are nine games left and we have to give everything,” the striker said.

“I don’t set a target. They can be a mental limitation. I go game by game, I don’t talk about targets.”

Lucca was in the spotlight in February when he infuriated his teammates by taking a penalty kick instead of Thauvin in a 1-0 win over Lecce.

The Italian striker was subbed off after converting the penalty kick, but let Thauvin take a spot kick in the following home game.

“I took everyone out for dinner and paid for it,” he revealed.

“There’s no need to talk about it anymore; you guys blew it out of proportion.”