Italy’s defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo netted twice in a thrilling 4-1 victory at home against Israel in the Nations League on Monday, putting Luciano Spalletti’s team within reach of the quarter-finals.
This victory keeps Italy at the top of League A Group Two with 10 points, just one point ahead of France, who defeated Belgium 2-1, placing them in third. Italy require only a single point from their two forthcoming group matches to secure progression to the next stage.
Striker Mateo Retegui opened the scoring by converting a penalty into the top corner in the 41st minute. After the interval, Di Lorenzo doubled the lead with a header from Giacomo Raspadori’s free kick. Mohammed Abu Fani reduced the deficit for Israel in the 66th minute with a direct corner goal before Federico Dimarco assisted Davide Frattesi for Italy’s third, and Di Lorenzo wrapped up the victory with a precise low shot from just outside the box. “They showed excellent team spirit in the first half, catching them off guard several times with Di Lorenzo’s pass to Retegui,” Spalletti remarked during a press conference.
The spaces were tight, yet being frequently positioned in front of the goalkeeper highlighted the excellent performance of the team. Italy took control from the outset, although Israel had an early opportunity when Oscar Gloukh fired narrowly wide from the box’s edge. Goalkeeper Omri Glazer then thwarted Retegui at close quarters. Glazer continued to impress by denying Retegui again, until the striker finally scored following a penalty awarded to Italy after Dor Peretz fouled Sandro Tonali just before halftime.
In the 54th minute, Di Lorenzo extended the home side’s advantage by heading Giacomo Raspadori’s free-kick past the goalkeeper and into the net off the right post. Despite a goal from Israel against the run of play, confirmed after a VAR review, Italy’s confidence soared. Frattesi increased the lead to 3-1 with a precise low shot in the 72nd minute, and Di Lorenzo secured victory seven minutes later. Since his goal against Lithuania in September 2021, Di Lorenzo has netted five times for Italy, with fellow defender Dimarco contributing three goals.
Israel, having been elevated to the top division of League A in the last iteration, currently sit at the bottom of the group with no points. “Spalletti’s influence on this team is evident, and when they perform as they did this evening, it poses a significant challenge for their adversaries,” remarked Israel’s coach, Ran Ben Shimon.
Italy, who let slip a two-goal advantage in a 2-2 tie with Belgium the previous week, are set to visit Belgium in November before hosting France in their concluding home game.
