‘It was murder…’: Gennaro Gattuso calls Italy’s 5-4 Israel win his ‘craziest game’ as coach, World Cup hopes stay alive

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Italy scraped past Israel 5-4 in a pulsating WC 2026 qualifier match. (Reuters)

SEVEN second-half goals after an opening 45 ended in a stalemate. Italy’s FIFA World Cup 2026 hopes would have suffered a brutal blow at the Nagyerdei Stadion on Monday night as the Azzurri were handed a mighty scare by underdogs Israel in a 5-4 finish in the UEFA WC qualifiers.

In a madcap contest, the Italians scored two own goals, twice came from behind and conceded a late equaliser but scrambled a win to stay in the hunt in Group I.

Italy had won their first game under new manager Gennaro Gattuso in a 5-0 home win over Estonia on Friday and, while it was far from a five-star performance on neutral ground away to Israel they somehow came away with the three points.

‘The craziest game…’

“It was murder today. It’s the craziest game I’ve been involved with as a coach, but it is my problem and not that of the players. If we want to play in a certain way, we need to get better at this. We were crazy to go on the attack systematically, that’s what Israel were waiting for, they hit us on the counter every time. We could’ve defended deeper when leading,” Gattuso told reporters after the game.

Italy beat Israel 5-4 with a last minute winner #ShowIsraelTheRedCard 🟥 #ForzaItalia pic.twitter.com/IkQuJpmpqQ

— Cllr Martin Abrams 🕊️🍉 (@Martin_Abrams) September 8, 2025

“It was a crazy game,” Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli told Rai. “The five goals scored should be emphasised, but we also conceded four and so there will be analysis to be done.”

How can Italy qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026?

Italy’s qualification hopes received a much-needed lift with the scrappy result. The win over Israel has moved them into second in Group I, giving them a clear path to the play-offs. With group leaders Norway now just three points ahead, the team is in a prime spot. Missing out on a second straight World Cup would be nothing short of a disaster for the nation.