Italy outclass Israel, on brink of Nations League quarterfinal berth

Italy defender Giovanni Di Lorenzo scored twice in a 4-1 home win over Israel in the Nations League on Monday as Luciano Spalletti's side put one foot in the quarterfinals.

The win kept Italy top of League A Group Two with 10 points, one ahead of France who beat third-placed Belgium 2-1. Italy need at least one point from their two remaining group games to guarantee a place in the next round.

Striker Mateo Retegui broke the deadlock by firing a penalty into the top corner in the 41st minute while after the break Di Lorenzo headed the second from Giacomo Raspadori's free kick.

Mohammed Abu Fani pulled a goal back for Israel in the 66th direct from a corner before Federico Dimarco set up Davide Frattesi for Italy's third and Di Lorenzo sealed the win with a low shot from the edge of the box.

"They were good in terms of team attitude in the first half, we surprised them a few times with Di Lorenzo's ball to Retegui," Spalletti told a press conference.

"The spaces were narrow... but the fact that we were in front of the goalkeeper so many times is a sign that the boys played a great game."

There were snipers on the roof of the stadium and a heavy police presence throughout the city of Udine for the match as Israel played outside neutral Hungary for the first time this year due to the country's ongoing war with Hamas.

Udine was on high alert, with the game being played against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East which has spread to Lebanon after more than a year-long war in Gaza.

In the end, both the game -- and an earlier pro-Palestine demonstration -- passed without incident.

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Italy dominated possession from the start but Israel managed a good chance early on through Oscar Gloukh, who struck just wide from the edge of the box before visiting goalkeeper Omri Glazer did well to block Retegui from close range.

Glazer showed off his skills again soon after, denying Retegui once more, before the striker eventually got his name on the scoresheet after Italy were awarded a penalty for Dor Peretz's foul on Sandro Tonali before the break.

Di Lorenzo doubled the lead for the hosts in the 54th minute, netting Giacomo Raspadori's free kick with a header that bounced in front of the goalkeeper and went inside the right post.

Israel pulled a goal back against the run of play, given after a VAR check.

But Italy only grew in confidence and Frattesi made it 3-1 in the 72nd minute with a low first-time finish, before Di Lorenzo wrapped up the points seven minutes later.

Since netting for Italy in September 2021 against Lithuania, Di Lorenzo has scored five goals for his country while defensive colleague Dimarco has three.

Israel, who were promoted to the top-tier League A in the previous edition, are bottom of the group standings without a point.

"You can see Spalletti's hand on this team and when they play like they did tonight it becomes really difficult for the opponents," said Israel coach Ran Ben Shimon.

Italy, who squandered a two-goal lead in a draw against the Belgians last week, next travel to face Domenico Tedesco's side again in November before their final home fixture against France.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this story.