Italian
The Italian national football team defeats Israel 3-0 and secures qualification for the play-offs to access the next World Cup.
UDINE – In an almost surreal atmosphere, with only 10,000 spectators and clashes outside the stadium between organized protesters and law enforcement, Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy beat Israel 3-0. This marks the fifth consecutive win (the fourth under the World Cup-winning coach) and confirms their spot in the World Cup qualification play-offs.
The minimum objective has been achieved with two matches to spare, though hopes of direct qualification for the USA are practically nonexistent. For that to happen, an unstoppable Norway would have to lose or draw against Estonia on November 13, and then Italy would need to win a direct play-off-style clash on the 16th at San Siro.
The match initially remained goalless, with missed chances on both sides. Two majestic saves by Gigio Donnarummaon Solomon and Gloukh redeemed his earlier error against Estonia. It was Mateo Retegui who broke the deadlock, first earning a penalty at the end of the first half and then converting it with power, making up for Saturday’s miss. He followed it up with a magnificent curling shot into the top corner, securing his third brace for the national team. Mancini sealed the scoreline with a header in stoppage time, his first goal for Italy.
Italy will now return to action on November 13 in Chisinau against Moldova, already knowing the result of the Norway-Estonia match. A Norwegian win would mean automatic qualification for them. The goal difference gap in favor of Haaland and co. is too large for Italy to overcome, even with six more points and a win in the head-to-head clash.
The road to America is still open, though, through the March play-offs where two more victories will be mandatory. But with Gattuso’s trademark grit, anything is possible. In the meantime, there’s finally good news from the strikers. Twelve points and sixteen goals in four matches, the two-striker system is clearly paying off. Some defensive issues remain, but the path taken finally seems like the right one.
Comments
These were the words of head coach Gennaro Gattuso:
“We did well, the boys deserve praise. Today we had everything to lose. They covered the pitch well, I saw great spirit, and not conceding is important too. Gigio made two great saves, Locatelli had a fantastic game, and Raspadori, though struggling, did what he needed to do.
But we have to learn how to suffer—very few teams in the world can dominate matches. We have quality with the ball at our feet, we need to regain compactness and work centimeter by centimeter.”
Striker Mateo Retegui, now with 11 goals for Italy, said:
“I’m very happy, what we’re doing is important. We’re improving and understanding what the coach wants. The team is strong, we’ve got great numbers in attack, and today we also did well in defense with a clean sheet. Now we need to rest and improve, keeping our feet on the ground.”
Match Summary
ITALY–ISRAEL 3-0 (1-0 HT)
ITALY (3-5-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Calafiori; Cambiaso (39’st Spinazzola), Barella, Tonali (47′ Cambiaghi), Locatelli (39’st Cristante), Dimarco; Raspadori (1’st Esposito), Retegui (47’st Piccoli).
Subs: Meret, Vicario, Coppola, Gabbia, Udogie, Frattesi, Orsolini.
Coach: Gattuso
ISRAEL (4-3-3): Glazer; Dasa (44’st Mizrahi), Baltaxa, Blorian, Revivo; E. Peretz (30’st Abu Fani), Gloukh, Khalaili (27’st Toriel); Biton, Baribo (27’st Turgeman), Solomon (44’st Shua).
Subs: Da. Peretz, Tzur, Gandelman, Azoulay, Noy, Gropper, Stoinov.
Coach: Ben Shimon
Scorers: 47’pt (pen.) & 74′ Retegui (ITA), 90+3′ Mancini (ITA)
Referee: Turpin (France)
Assistants: Danos & Pages (France)
Fourth Official: Letexier (France)
VAR: Dechepy (France)
AVAR: Van Driessche (Belgium)
Attendance: 9,965
Booked: Biton (ISR), Tonali (ITA), Barella (ITA)
Group I – Fixtures, Results, and Standings
October 14: Estonia–Moldova 1-1
October 14: ITALY–Israel 3-0
Upcoming Matches:
- November 13, 6:00 PM: Norway–Estonia (Oslo)
- November 13, 8:45 PM: Moldova–ITALY (Chisinau)
- November 16, 8:45 PM: Israel–Moldova (Debrecen)
- November 16, 8:45 PM: ITALY–Norway (Milan)
Standings:
Norway – 18 points (6 games)
ITALY – 15 (6)
Israel – 9 (7)
Estonia – 4 (7)
Moldova – 1 (6)
Photo Credits: Figc
