Gattuso stunned by “crazy” nine-goal qualifier.
Italy secured a dramatic 5-4 victory over Israel on Monday night in a wild and unpredictable World Cup qualifying match played on neutral ground in Debrecen, Hungary.
The result saw the Azzurri jump to second in their qualifying group, overtaking Israel on goal difference.
The match was a rollercoaster from start to finish, with both teams twice holding a lead.
Israel went ahead early with an own goal from Italy’s Manuel Locatelli.
Italy responded with a powerful strike from Moise Kean, but Israel quickly restored their lead through Dor Peretz.
Kean levelled the score again for Italy before two more goals from Matteo Politano and Giacomo Raspadori.
However another Italian own goal from Alessandro Bastoni and a second from Dor Peretz in the 89th minute brought the score to an incredible 4-4.
Just as it seemed the points would be shared, Italy’s Sandro Tonali sealed the victory in stoppage time with a speculative long-range shot that found its way into the net, capping off a chaotic match.
“It’s the craziest game I’ve been involved with as a coach, but it is my problem and not that of the players” – Italian manager Gennaro Gattuso said – “If we want to play in a certain way, we need to get better at this”.
The victory is a crucial one for Italy’s World Cup qualifying hopes, putting them in a strong position behind group leaders Norway, after Italy failed to qualify for the last two World Cups in a row.
The result also comes amid ongoing controversy over the next qualifier match between Italy and Israel, scheduled to be played in the Italian city of Udine on 14 October.
Despite calls for the game to be cancelled, because of the war in Gaza, Italian football authorities and the Italian government say the match is to go ahead as planned.
Photo credit: Fabrizio Andrea Bertani / Shutterstock.com.
