Italy thrash Israel 4-1 to claim top spot in Group 2 above France and Belgium
Italy hammered home another scintillating win against Israel to leapfrog France and Belgium in Nations League race.
Follow Us
Italy celebrating their victory over Israel, image courtesy: X
It was another convincing win for Italy as they outclassed Israel in their latest Nation’s League clash to cement their position at the top of the points table in League A Group 2. They leapfrogged France and Belgium while inching closer to a spot in the quarter-finals. One point from the remaining two games will confirm their qualification.
It all started for the Azzurri with a penalty in the 41st minute. Mateo Retegui shattered the impasse with a wheezing penalty into the top-right corner. Not long after Giovanni Di Lorenzo headed home from Giacomo Raspadori’s free-kick to make it 2-0.
Mohammed Abu Fani halved the deficit with a brilliant corner-kick in the 66th minute as Israel started to believe again. However, Italy was relentless and unleashed another fresh wave of belligerence to expunge their opposition. Federico Dimarco teed off Davide Frattesi for Italy’s third while Di Lorenzo smashed his brace that came as a final nail on the coffin.
Another dominating performance by the Azzurri ??
— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) October 14, 2024
We still sit first in our Nations League group ahead of France and Belgium pic.twitter.com/vFovQlDpag
With this win, Italy moved to 10 points from four games, featuring three wins and a draw. France and Belgium are in the second and the third spot with nine and four points respectively. Israel languishes at the rock-bottom with four defeats from four games. Luciano Spalletti, the coach of Italy was happy with the game and praised his wards for an incredible display.
France secured a thrilling win against Belgium despite Aurelien Tchouameni being given a red card
In another thrilling game of the group, France and Belgium locked horns and despite playing with ten men for the last 14 minutes, the French held onto their own. As the high-octane encounter unfurled at King Baudouin Stadium, France drew first blood through Randal Kolo Muani from the dreaded spot. Lois Openda restored parity for Belgium just ahead of half-time.
The joys of Belgium were short-lived as Randal Kolo Muani fired home a second from open play and the goal galvanized France into further action. With Belgium coming hard at them, the French had their initial jitters.
The desperation from Belgium saw Aurelien Tchouameni get a straight red in the 76th minute with a nasty foul, a move that didn’t go down well with France. Despite the marching orders, France came out on top, opening up a significant gap with Belgium in the points table.
Stay Updated!
Rohit Ganguly
(509 Articles Published)