Turin, Sept. 8 (LaPresse) – Italy beat Israel 5-4 on neutral ground in Debrecen in a thrilling World Cup 2026 qualifier, decided in stoppage time by Tonali's goal from outside the box after Italy had taken a 4-2 lead. Tonali's own goal in the 16th minute of the first half opened the scoring, with Gattuso's team equalizing through Kean just before halftime. In the second half, a first-time shot from Don Peretz put Israel back in front, but Kean equalized again in the 9th minute. Five minutes later, Politano turned the game around with an assist from Retegui, and in the 36th minute, the newly entered Raspadori scored the fourth goal with an assist from Frattesi, who also came on in the second half. The game seemed to be over, but another own goal, this time by Bastoni in the 42nd minute, reopened the contest. In the 44th minute, Don Peretz headed home to make it 4-4, giving Italy a scare, but in stoppage time, Tonali scored the winning goal to give the Azzurri three precious points in their chase for Norway, now three points ahead.