Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani was delighted with his brace for Italy in last night's 2-1 victory over Montenegro.
He said: "This is the dream that every young player has. I had never scored for Italy before so this, and being in the starting XI with the Number 10 shirt, is incredible. I really could not have asked for anything more."
The Roma midfielder netted a brace in Italy's 2-1 World Cup qualifying victory over Montenegro.
"I am happy above all that we were able to win, as we had already played well in Bulgaria and these points give that result new meaning," continued Aquilani.
"The Coach put a lot of faith in me tonight, asking me to push forward, and I am glad I was able to repay him.
"There is no such thing as an easy game in international football now and Montenegro are a young side, but we showed that we have the team spirit to grit our teeth and get the result."
On criticism in the press in recent weeks, Aquilani added: "We need more balance in football, as it's ridiculous that after a couple of shaky performances everyone insults you. I wasn't a disaster area before, regardless of what the media said, and I am not a genius now.
"To be honest, I have to laugh wondering what they would have said about me if I had not scored these two goals."