Player Ratings: Italy 3-0 Israel – Retegui and Donnarumma shine bright

Mateo Retegui’s brace and Gigio Donnarumma’s saves inspired Italy’s 3-0 win over Israel on Tuesday.

Italy player ratings vs. Israel

Donnarumma 8 – Two crucial saves, one in each half. Italy have the best keeper in the world, but should not need him this much to beat the 76th-ranked team in the FIFA ranking.

Di Lorenzo 6  – A balanced performance. Even if he lost possession nine times, his passing accuracy was over 90%.

Mancini 7 – Dominated in the air, winning four aerial duels from four. No coincidence that he scored his first international goal with a header.

Calafiori 6 – Not as effective as usual, especially with the ball at his feet. Lost possession 12 times, more than any other Italian defender tonight.

Cambiaso 6 – Glimpses of quality down the right flank, but he wasn’t consistent enough. (85’ Spinazzola N/A).

Tonali 6 – The Newcastle star, one of the best Italy players under Gattuso, wasn’t as sharp as usual. Surely a bit tired, having already made 13 appearances this season. (92’ Piccoli N/A).

Locatelli 6.5 – A typical Locatelli performance. He was solid defensively and played the ball safely. Sometimes too safely. (85’ Cristante N/A).

Barella 6.5 – An all-round performance, with good passes and several duels won, but he needed more accuracy in the final third.

Dimarco 7 – He often made the appropriate movements in the final third. After some intriguing crosses, he eventually delivered the assist for Mancini in the dying minutes.

Retegui 8 – Earned and converted a penalty kick in the first half. Recovered the ball high up the pitch and scored the second after the break. Pure difference maker tonight.

Raspadori 5.5 – Just 17 touches in 45 minutes, one shot. Lost possession four times. Not enough.  (46’ Pio Esposito 5.5).

Coach: Gattuso 6.5 – Fourth consecutive win with 16 goals scored, more than any other Italy coach in the same period. For the first time, he used a three-man defence, mirroring Israel’s system. With this win, Italy are mathematically qualified for the World Cup playoffs. He knows it was the minimum target and that the tough part will start in the coming months, leading to the playoffs in March 2026.

Israel: Glazer 5; Dasa 5.5 (89’ Mizrahi N/A), Baltaxa 5, Blorian 5, Revivo 5; E Peretz 5.5 (75’ Abu Fani N/A), Gloukh 6, Khalaili 6.5 (73’ Torial 4); Biton 5.5, Baribo 5.5 (72’ Turgeman), Solomon 6 (89’ Shua N/A). Coach: Ben Simon 6.