Gatusso maintains 100 per cent record with a slim victory over Israel

Gennaro Gattuso has secured two wins from two matches as the Italy national football team coach after recording a victory in a 9-goal thriller against Israel in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Having made a solid start with a 5-0 win against Estonia, Gattuso’s Italy twice fought back from a goal down to eventually beat Israel 5-4.

The victory moved the Azzurri to second place in their World Cup qualifying group after a truly chaotic encounter.

 Gattuso changed his formation from a 4-2-3-1 to more of a 3-5-2, with Manuel Locatelli bolstering the midfield in place of injured Mattia Zaccagni, while Gianluca Mancini also replaced Riccardo Calafiori in defence.

Before the kick off, Israel were occupying the second spot in Group I on 9 points from 4 games, having won five of their last six matches, interrupted by a 4-2 thriller with Norway. 

Due to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, the game was played on neutral turf at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary.

Israel thought they had opened the goals chart from a corner, but the referee spotted a Stav Lemkin foul.

They eventually got the lead through an own goal from Locatelli. Biton on the by-line drew Donnarumma out from the right flank, and Locatelli got his slide all wrong to intercept, accidentally prodding it into his own net from three yards.

The Nazionale got a chance to level matters with two huge chances in 31 minutes, but failed to take them. The first was Locatelli’s acrobatic half-volley on a Retegui knockdown, which clipped the crossbar from 12 yards, and Mancini pulled back from the by-line only for Moise Kean to fire wide from seven yards.

The Azzurri eventually restored parity when Retegui knocked down a long Barella ball over the top for Kean, who took a touch from the edge of the area before drilling low into the near bottom corner with his right boot.

Despite further attempts by Italy to turn it around, they went behind again as Manor Solomon, who was free on the left flank, cut inside and rolled across for Dor Peretz to smash the finish into the top corner from 13 yards.

Kean restored the parity for Italy immediately as Retegui knocked down another ball over the top for the Fiorentina striker to fire in first time with his right foot from just inside the box.

The Azzurri eventually turned it around with Retegui registering his third assist with a cheeky back-heel flick assist flicked on a long throw-in for Politano to come sliding in from six yards with the angled drive.

Israel was denied an equaliser by Donnarumma, who was on his toes to flap a deflected Solomon cross out from under the crossbar.

The goalie again, then a minute later rushed off his line to clear from Dor Peretz, but the ball fell kindly to Tai Baribo, who was denied by the desperate Locatelli goal-line clearance.

The Azzurri then doubled their lead with a well-worked team move. Davide Frattesi combined with Tonali, then released Giacomo Raspadori, who swept in from six yards.

Israel got a lifeline through Bastoni’s own goal. The Inter defender comically shinnied a clearance on the Roy Revivo cross, giving Donnarumma no chance.

The Israeli then made it 4-4, punishing Italy’s woeful defending on a set play.  The ball went over the top, nodded down by Biton for the Dor Peretz free header from a couple of yards.

Italy got the winner in stoppages as Tonali’s ball into the box went through a sea of legs to surprise everyone and accidentally slot into the far bottom corner and restore the advantage.

Israel attacked till the last action that almost got them a point in the final whistle as Giovanni Di Lorenzo’s header took the cross away from Revivo in a very strong position.