Italy have secured a dramatic 5-4 victory over Israel in Debrecen, Hungary, reviving their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
The match began with controversy, after a potential own goal by Dimarco was disallowed for a foul on Donnarumma, but Israel still took the lead in the 15th minute, when Locatelli miscued his shot into his own net. The Italian midfielder had a chance to make up for the mistake, but his spectacular shot was stopped by the crossbar. Italy responded and equalized through Moise Kean just before half-time, following a pass from Retegui.
The second half brought a flurry of goals: Dor Peretz restored Israel's lead, but within a minute Kean equalized again. Politano overturned the score with another assist from Retegui, while newly-introduced Raspador scored the fourth for the Italians.
However, Bastoni with an own goal and then Dor Peretz with a header brought the score to 4-4, sparking the match in the final minutes.
The hero of the evening was Sandro Tonali, who with a cross shot sealed the 5-4 success for Gennaro Gattuso's team.
With this victory, Italy achieves two successes in the first two matches under the new coach and is now in a favorable position to aim at least for the play-offs.
Meanwhile, Israel missed a golden opportunity, having twice been ahead but failing to score a single point.