Italy beat Israel 4-1 in Nations League final

Now we start to get serious and we see a group that could not be more cohesive, almost returned to the glories of the most exciting Italian national football teams, made of sweat, effort and conviction.

This is a little more than 100 days after the uneventful match against Switzerland which cost the Europeans, but for Spalletti's Italy, an era seems to have passed.
This frightened group is now a “pack” hungry for revenge that crushes the Israeli team 4-1 and escapes at the top of the Nations League group rankings, a stone's throw from a mathematical qualification for the eight-man final which would also be worth first place in the draw for the World Cup qualifiers.

The beginnings of Daniel Maldini
It is worth noting the beginnings of Daniel Maldini, third generation of champions. The Udine match will also be remembered for the extraordinary security measures, at a time of high tensions in the Middle East; everything was armored outside the stadium, snipers on the roofs, while far from the stadium pro-Palestinian supporters marched through the city. But on the field, everything starts with boos to the sound of the Israeli anthem (then covered by applause) and ends with a “peaceful” invader, tackled before going so far as to ask for Calafiori's jersey.

Training, Raspadori and news from the field
Spalletti proposes the formation that had dominated Belgium in the first 40 minutes in Rome, with Raspadori replacing the suspended Pellegrini: the only changes are Fagioli for Ricci, in the control room, and goalkeeper Vicario – for captain Donnarumma – who plays in the city where he was born and raised in football. Ben Shimon responds by relying on Gloukh's creativity to strike at the restart. The Azzurri immediately rushed forward, but in the 8th minute it was the guests who almost took the lead.

Fagioli loses a bloody ball in his own half and Gloukh, a twenty-year-old Salzburg talent, advances and takes a low shot from the edge that narrowly misses the goal. Italy did not lose their composure and in the 15th minute they devoured the goal: Di Lorenzo's splendid throw from the right put only Retegui in front of the goal, Glazer responded like a champion to the powerful shot. 3 minutes pass and the scenario repeats itself: Raspadori catches up with Frattesi who, on the wing, frees Retegui again at the limit, the centre-forward's slash seems aimed at the bottom of the bag but Glazer overtakes himself again and puts it in the corner.

Target shooting continues in the 20th minute: Tonali only receives in the small area and takes a shot which hits the opposing goalkeeper. Three huge missed opportunities in just 5' which left coach Spalletti desperate, who returned to the Stade du Frioul bench almost twenty years after his time with the Bianconeri. The Azzurri only caught their breath for around ten minutes and in the 30th minute, Dimarco, with his usual enchanting left foot, delivered a lofted cross that Frattesi missed by a hair and Retegui, still behind, fired a shot off target .

At 32' D. Peretz plays as center forward and assists Gloukh who rushes and misses the goal. Then, in the 40th minute, Tonali received an unnecessary stomp following a late intervention from D. Peretz at the edge of the area, but from a tight angle, and Retegui this time executed the decision from the spot for his sixth goal for the team. 'national team. The visitors hesitated, two minutes later Raspadori let the ball run and allowed himself to be anticipated instead of pushing a sort of moving penalty towards the goal.

Sparkling first half and minimal lead.

The crackling second half for the Azzurri
The second half begins with a change in the control room, Ricci positions himself in front of the defense in place of a lackluster Fagioli but the pattern is the same as the first half: the Azzurri pressing suffocating on the pitch . Just on a stolen ball at 8, a free kick comes from the edge for a hand. On Raspadori's brilliant cross, Di Lorenzo jumped higher than anyone and headed the ball home. A deserved double, all with Neapolitan sauce.

The match resumes abruptly in the 22nd minute: Abu Fani gives a corner to return and Baltaxa seems to block the exit of Vicario who literally jumps on his back: Ricardo de Burgos does not agree and validates amid protests from the Azzurri and Bluenergy. The home side had none and, a minute later, came close to scoring with Bastoni's effort only to be parried away by Glazer in the corner. The goal arrives in the 27th minute: Dimarco, now left playmaker, sees the insertion of Frattesi who leaves no chance for the opposing goalkeeper. This time, under the banner of the two teams competing for the lead in the championship, the marking is entirely in the colors of the Nerazzurri.

It's also time to update the almanac: Daniel Maldini makes his Italy debut at the stadium where his father Paolo began his successful Serie A career. and in the region of his grandfather Cesare of Trieste. It was precisely the artist's son and grandson who triggered the poker goal, favoring the insertion of Udogie and the decisive pass of Di Lorenzo, who achieved a personal double that put behind him this unforgettable European Championship. Change of match and national team debut also for local favorite Lorenzo Lucca in a stadium now full of enthusiasm.

Spalletti, strong team, we see a glimpse of the future
Perhaps it's the excitement – to say the least – of the moment, it may be that the former Neapolitan Scudetto winning coach is still looking towards the future, but from the end of the match, Spalletti seemed almost “greedy”: “We could have scored more goals, but we came out satisfied with a match against a difficult team. Getting so far in front of your goalkeeper is a symptom of a team. who has values ​​and who knows what it is like on the ground”: Luciano Spalletti is very satisfied, at a press conference in Udine, after the poker game played against Israel. But he warns his team: “This lightness must not become superficiality or presumption. You must always stay on the right track, run for your teammate and for the team, sacrifice yourself.”

The technical commissioner praises everyone: “Retégui he is strong, he will become a top player, he has the characteristics of the perfect center forward. Tonali he still needs to release a little anger for what happened to him: he is improving from match to match. They advised me to keep it for a few minutes, but it was impressive. We see that he wants to make up for lost time.

The coach's list of players
“Soon we will also have to find space for Barella, in midfield there is an abundance which is pleasing.” The disqualification of Fagioli and Tonali was also mentioned: “They can be an example for those who make mistakes – he recalled – whoever looks at them sees that when we return to work, there is a bright future “. “Di Lorenzo is an exceptional footballer – he continued – a very serious professional. That's why I insisted on putting him on the field even after less brilliant periods. We will talk about Maldini: to his arrival, he has done excellent things. Zaniolo, now that he has a coach who can improve him further, this represents an excellent option, we can say: we now see a glimmer of future possibilities. have the conviction that we are strong: we must do everything from scratch again, so as not to allow quality to cross the line of presumption. .