After Italy  struggled to see off lowly Malta on Monday night, the Italian papers have been scathing in their reviews of Antonio Conte's flops - with the exception of Southampton striker Graziano Pelle. Pelle, who earned his call-up after four goals in his first six Premier League games, scored the only goal of the game on debut to spare his side's blushes. And the Italian press hailed their new hero, with the Saints star dominating the front pages alongside criticism of the rest of the team. Graziano Pelle scores his first Italian goal on debut to rescue his side against 10-man Malta in Valletta
@highlight
Graziano Pelle scores on debut as Italy scrape past Malta 1-0
@highlight
Italian press lay into Antonio Conte's team, but praise Pelle
@highlight
Mario Balotelli tells Pelle to 'keep it up' on Instagram
@highlight
Southampton striker signed for £8m from Feyenoord this summer
The Southampton star was clearly delighted with his impact, and was hailed as the hero in @placeholder