Italy ends Israel's World Cup qualifying dreams

Italy dealt a crushing blow to Israel's hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, defeating them 3-0 in the European qualifiers held at the Lonergy Stadium on Tuesday evening. Despite Israel's defensive efforts in the first half, the Azzurri managed to break the deadlock with a goal by Matteo Rettighi in the final minute of stoppage time. The same striker then added a second goal in the 74th minute, following a well-organized attack that ended any hopes of a comeback for their opponents. In stoppage time, Gianluca Mancini completed Italy's hat-trick, confirming the complete dominance of Luciano Spalletti's side, which continued its strong performances in the qualifiers. With this victory, the Italian team raised its tally to 15 points, second in the group behind Norway, who lead the group with 18 points, while Israel's tally froze at 9 points, officially bidding farewell to its dream of participating in the 2026 World Cup, whether via direct qualification or the European playoffs.