At the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy dealt a heavy defeat to Estonia with a 5-0 score, in a match corresponding to the group stage of the European Qualification for the World Cup. Without a doubt, the standout figure of the night was Mateo Retegui, who scored a brace that sealed the match.
The Argentine forward, who has Italian nationality, showed his goal-scoring instinct by scoring at the 69th minute, after a pass from Raspadori, and then, towards the end, at the 89th minute, assisted by Cambiaso. Both goals served to widen the lead and seal a resounding victory for the team led by Gennaro Gattuso.
The goals came in the second half: Kean opened the scoring at the 58th minute, assisted by a backheel from Retegui. Then, in addition to Retegui’s brace, Raspadori, Di Lorenzo, and Bastoni scored, with the latter sealing the rout at the 92nd minute.
The match, which was played on September 5 at the Gewiss Stadium, corresponding to the fifth week of the group stage of the European Qualification for the World Cup, had a devastating second half for the hosts.
Retegui, unstoppable (REUTERS).
With this result, this is how the standings look in the group of the European Qualification for the World Cup. Norway leads with 12 points, from 4 wins, with 13 goals for and only 2 against. Followed by Israel, with 9 points after winning 3 matches and losing 1, scoring 11 goals and conceding 6. Italy, after this victory, is in third position with 6 points, from 2 wins and 1 loss, with 7 goals for and 3 against. Estonia is in fourth place with 3 points, having won only 1 match and lost 4, with 5 goals for and 13 against. Moldova is at the bottom of the table, with no points, with 4 losses, 2 goals for and 14 against.
The Italian superiority was reflected in the statistics. With 70% ball possession and a pass accuracy of 90%, they dominated the match. Estonia, with only 4 shots on goal, suffered from the Italian efficiency, who scored 5 goals from 40 shots. The visitors committed more fouls, but the Azzurri were more effective in tackles.
Italy came into this match against Estonia with an irregular performance in their recent commitments. Of the last six matches, they achieved two victories (2-0 against Moldova and 1-0 against Belgium), a draw (3-3 with Germany), and three losses (3-0 against Norway, 2-1 against Germany, and 3-1 against France).
Although the team showed solidity at times, the lack of consistency in defense and irregularity in the attacking zone raised doubts ahead of this match corresponding to matchday 5 of the group stage of the European Qualification for the World Cup. Coach Gennaro Gattuso was looking for a convincing win that would allow the team to regain confidence and get on track for qualification.
Gennaro Gattuso’s debut was a success. EFE.
On the other hand, Estonia faced this match with the urgent need to earn points to improve their position in the table. The team led by Jurgen Henn came to Bergamo with a recent unfavorable record: a 3-2 victory over Moldova, a goalless draw against Azerbaijan, and four losses (1-0 against Norway, 3-1 against Israel, 2-1 against Israel, and 1-0 against Slovakia).
The lack of goals and defensive frailty were the main concerns of the Estonian team, who were looking to surprise in Italy and earn important points in their fight for World Cup qualification. However, the outlook was not encouraging, and the visitors had to show a better version if they wanted to compete on equal terms against the Azzurri.
Italy: G. Donnarumma; F. Dimarco, R. Calafiori, A. Bastoni, G. Di Lorenzo; M. Zaccagni, S. Tonali, N. Barella, M. Politano; M. Retegui, and M. Kean. Manager: Gennaro Gattuso.
Israel vs Italy | Monday, September 8, 2025 | Group stage | European Qualification for the World Cup
Estonia vs Italy | Saturday, October 11, 2025 | Group stage | European Qualification for the World Cup
Italy vs Israel | Tuesday, October 14, 2025 | Group stage | European Qualification for the World Cup
Estonia vs Italy | Saturday, October 11, 2025 | Group stage | European Qualification for the World Cup
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.
View publisher imprintShare this article
