Italy Snatch Dramatic 5-4 victory Over Israel in Nine-Goal Thriller
Budapest, Hungary – Italy secured a heart-stopping 5-4 win against Israel in a World Cup qualification match marked by relentless attacking and defensive errors. Teh Group I encounter, played in Hungary, saw a total of nine goals scored, wiht Italy’s Sandro Tonali netting the decisive goal in added time.
The result places Italy second in Group I, level on points with Israel, and three points behind group leaders Norway. This victory is crucial for Italy’s hopes of automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while Israel will need to regroup after suffering a devastating late defeat. The group remains tightly contested,setting the stage for a dramatic finish to the qualifying campaign.Italy endured a challenging start, falling behind twice due to own goals from Manuel Locatelli (16th minute) and a strike from Israel’s Peretz (52nd minute).However,coach Gennaro Gattuso’s side responded through Moise Kean,who equalized twice (40th and 54th minutes).
Matteo Politano (58th minute) and Giacomo Raspadori (81st minute) then put Italy ahead 4-2, but Israel mounted a spirited comeback. An own goal by Alessandro Bastoni (87th minute) and a second goal from peretz (89th minute) leveled the score at 4-4.Ultimately, Italy found a late surge, with Tonali scoring the winning goal in the 91st minute after a contribution from substitute Andrea Cambiaso.
Elsewhere in World Cup Qualification:
Kosovo Defeats Sweden: Kosovo earned a surprising 2-0 victory over Sweden in Group B, coached by Franco Foda.
Switzerland Dominates Slovenia: Switzerland secured a agreeable 3-0 home win against Slovenia,also in Group B.
Switzerland currently leads Group B with six points, followed by Kosovo (3 points), with Sweden and Slovenia trailing on one point each.