Italy defeated Israel 3-0 in their crucial eighth round of European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, thanks to a brace from Retegui and a goal from Gianluca Mancini. Gattuso said his team must learn to withstand pressure and continue fighting with perseverance and determination.

In the 45th minute, Retgui was kicked by an Israeli defender while attempting to receive the ball, earning Italy a penalty kick. Retgui converted the penalty kick, giving Italy a 1-0 lead. In the 73rd minute of the second half, Retgui won possession and fired a long shot from outside the penalty area, extending Italy's lead to 2-0.

In the injury time, Dimarco received the ball and lobbed it towards the goal, where Gianluca Mancini leaped to head the ball into the net, extending Italy's lead to 3-0. In the end, Italy defeated Israel 3-0 at home.

After achieving five consecutive victories, Italy currently ranks second in Group I with 15 points, 3 points behind first-placed Norway. This also means that the "Azzurri" can only qualify for the World Cup by participating in the play-offs.

Italy coach Gattuso said, "We played well, because everyone still remembers the game that happened a month ago. The opponent made us a little shaken. But I think we had more control in this game. The opponent also created several opportunities. Donnarumma made several important saves, but I saw the right spirit of the game. Locatelli played very well. Although the forwards were a little tired, they played the way we needed."

"Don't forget this, we can't afford to lose, so I think the team performed very well. There are not many teams in the world that can completely dominate the game nowadays. We must learn to endure under pressure and fight with perseverance. When we have the ball, we do have strength. But the most important thing is that we must improve ourselves bit by bit."

Gattuso also said, "Now we can only hope that no players are injured. We will gather again in November and try to give some new players a chance to shine. We hope to build a solid team with tacit understanding both on and off the court."

In addition, Retegui, who helped Italy beat Israel, said, "I am very happy. We are doing something very important. The results of the last two training camps have been very positive. We are absorbing the coach's tactical concepts. I think we are forming a united team. We scored a lot of goals and kept a clean sheet in this game."

"Now we have to rest, keep working on ourselves and stay humble and see what we can do during the next international break."