7/09/2025

SUNDAY | SEP 7, 2025

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Goals galore Gattuso’s new Italy hammer Estonia in World Cup qualifier

List of qualified teams for the 2026 World Cup

UNITED STATES – Hosts Best performance: Third place (1930) MEXICO – Hosts Best performance: Quarter-finals (1970, 1986) CANADA – Hosts Best performance: Group stage (1986, 2022) JAPAN – March 20 Best performance: Round of 16 (2002, 2010, 2018, 2022) NEW ZEALAND – March 24 Best performance: Group stage (1982, 2010) IRAN – March 25 Best performance: Group stage (1978, 1998, 2006, 2014, 2018, 2022) ARGENTINA – March 25 Best performance: Winners (1978, 1986, 2022) UZBEKISTAN – June 5 Best performance: Never previously qualified. SOUTH KOREA – June 5 Best performance: Fourth place (2002) JORDAN – June 5 Best performance: Never previously qualified. AUSTRALIA – June 10 Best performance: Round of 16 (2006, 2022) BRAZIL – June 10 Best performance: Winners (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002) ECUADOR – June 10 Best performance: Round of 16 (2006) URUGUAY – Sept 4 Best performance: Winners (1930, 1950) COLOMBIA – Sept 4 Best performance: Quarterfinals (2014) PARAGUAY – Sept 4 Best performance: Quarterfinals (2010) MOROCCO – Sept 5 Best performance: Semifinals (2022)

Alessandro Bastoni (2nd right) leaps into the air to head the ball to score Italy’s fifth goal at the Stadio di Bergamo in Bergamo. – AFPPIC

GENNARO GATTUSO got off to an impressive start as Italy coach with yesterday’s 5-0 thumping of Estonia as he bids to stop the Azzurri missing out on a third straight World Cup. Goals in the second half from Moise Kean, Mateo Retegui – who netted twice – Giacomo Raspadori and Alessandro Bastoni gave Italy three points from a match in Bergamo, which the Azzurri dominated from the first minute and finished with fans chanting Gattuso’s name. Italy are third in Group I, six points behind leaders Norway who have played one game more, ahead of Monday’s clash with second-placed Israel in Debrecen, Hungary. “We played well and it was all down to the way the boys have conducted themselves this week,” said Gattuso. “We’ve worked hard and there’s been a good atmosphere around the squad. “When you play as attacking as we did tonight against a better team you expose yourself to risks, but today we were up againt a side that had a bit les than us so it was the right thing to do to be so attack-minded.” Three points separate Italy from Israel and the group’s playoff spot which is the likelier route for a place in next year’s finals in the USA,

Canada and Mexico with only first place offering direct qualification. In addition to the significant points gap to Norway, Italy have a goal difference that is seven worse than Erling Haaland and company, who thumped the four-time world champions 3-0 in June. Italy could have made an even bigger dent in the goal difference gap with more accurate finishing earlier in the game, with a host of chances coming and going before Kean eventually nodded home Retegui’s neat flick in the 58th minute. By that point both strikers had already missed good opportunities, with Kean smashing over from close range in the 37th minute before Retegui had a header tipped over by Karl Hein on the stroke of halftime. Hein kept out a smart Sandro Tonali volley moments before Kean opened the scoring, and 11 minutes later Retegui doubled the hosts lead with an expertly-placed low shot. Substitute Raspadori made the scoreline better reflect the balance of play in the 71st minute when he was left completely free to spectacularly head in Matteo Politano’s cross. And Retegui and Bastoni completed the rout in the dying moments of the game with smart headers which gave Gattuso a near perfect debut. – AFP

Italy’s Mateo Retegui (bottom) celebrates scoring their second goal with Moise Kean

during their World Cup European qualifiers

against Estonia. – REUTERSPIC

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