Italy’s World Cup Dream Alive Thanks to Tonali’s Last-Gasp Strike

Wow, Italy beat Israel 5-4 in a crazy World Cup qualifier match held in Hungary on Monday. Sandro Tonali scored in the 91st minute, which saved the day and put Italy in a playoff spot in Group I.

With their new coach, Gennaro Gattuso, Italy is only three points behind Norway, who is currently leading. They still have a chance to qualify directly. After not making it to the last two World Cups, Italy really wants to avoid missing out again.

Gattuso’s Response: Relieved but Frustrated

Despite winning the match, coach Gennaro Gattuso made sure everyone knew where he stood after the final whistle.

“It was the craziest game I have been a part of as a coach. We will enjoy the win which was so important for us, but we are totally nuts, nuts because we gave up some ridiculous goals,” said Gattuso.

He also highlighted Italy’s number one weakness to this point:

“We need to work on defence because we are too fragile. We give up goals too easily, and that’s my problem.”

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Match Highlights: Italy vs Israel – A Rollercoaster Ride

Israel Take Early Lead

Manuel Locatelli inadvertently scoring an own goal (16′) gave the lead to Israel, who struck first.

Moise Kean Shines for Italy

Moise Kean’s two goals (40′, 54′) brought the score to 2-2, thus allowing Italy to stay in the game.

Politano & Raspadori Put Italy Ahead

Matteo Politano (58′) and Giacomo Raspadori (81′) had no hesitation to make it 4-2 to Italy with their goals.

Late Drama: Israel Fight Back

Instances of Dor Peretz (52′, 88′) scoring a brace and Alessandro Bastoni unintentionally scoring an own goal (90′) together made it a 4-4 draw.

Tonali’s Decisive Moment

It was a goal by Sandro Tonali in stoppage time (91′) that really stressed the point of the game being over and gave Italy a 5-4 win.

What this win means for Italy

Playoff Position Confirmed: Italy move into the playoff spot in Group I, overtaking Israel.

Defensive Worries Persist: Two own goals and lackadaisical defending illustrate the backline remains suspect.

Gattuso’s First Big Test: The new coach still needs to balance Italy’s offensive flair with its wet cardboard defence.

Sandro Tonali‘s late goal kept Italy from a really bad situation, but Gattuso’s got a lot to do. Norway’s ahead in the group, so Italy needs to play better and defend well to make it to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Hopefully, this exciting win will give the Azzurri some momentum as they try to qualify.