UDINE, Italy: Italy secured at least a place in the World Cup playoffs after defeating Israel 3-0 at home with two goals from Mateo Retegui and a late goal from Gianluca Mancini, early this morning.
The victory brought relief to Gennaro Gattuso’s squad, who failed to qualify for the previous two editions of the World Cup, both after losing in the playoff round.
Now, a similar path is expected to be their main hope as Norway leads Group I with 18 points, three points ahead of the Azzurri who have collected 15, with two matches remaining.
Italy is now six points ahead of Israel, who only have one match left and no longer have a chance to overtake.
Next, Italy will travel to Moldova on November 13 before awaiting the visit of Norway three days later, an action that is expected to be the group decider.
The group winners will automatically qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while the runners-up will have to go through a playoff.
“We played as we should have today. We knew everything could be lost if we made a mistake. But the players came out with their best performance,” Gattuso said after the match in Udine.
“We all remember the match against Israel a month ago, they really made us struggle,” he said, referring to the thrilling 5-4 win last month.
“We are building a strong team, not only offensively, but also defensively,” Retegui said after the match.
The match was also shrouded in tension when incidents broke out between police and pro-Palestinian protesters in the city centre of Udine, with authorities having to use tear gas and water cannons to control the situation.
About 10,000 spectators were present at the 25,000-seat Friuli Stadium, including a small group of Israeli supporters carrying their country’s flag.
Although they still have a chance to overtake Norway if they record two wins, Italy is expected to have to go through the playoff route next March as the goal difference advantage favors the Scandinavian team.
“Now we just have to pray that no players get injured and they continue to excel with their respective clubs,” said Gattuso.