Gattuso: ‘Italy had it all to lose’ against Israel, now for 2026 World Cup play-offs | OneFootball

Gennaro Gattuso warns Italy ‘had it all to lose’ against Israel, as their 3-0 victory has guaranteed a place in the 2026 World Cup play-offs.

The atmosphere was not ideal at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, as with security checks and a protest in the city square, only around 10,000 were in the stands.

Even then, the performance was disappointingly sluggish, breaking through only with a Mateo Retegui penalty, while Gianluigi Donnarumma had to make two big saves.

It was better after the break, as Retegui curled a wonderful finish into the far top corner to complete his brace, then in stoppages Gianluca Mancini nodded in from a corner.

Gattuso saw improvement from Italy

UDINE, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Gennaro Gattuso, Head Coach of Italy, sings the Italian national anthem prior to the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Israel at Stadio Friuli on October 14, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“We did well, because we all remember what happened a month ago, they made us wobble,” Gattuso told RAI Sport of that 5-4 thriller.

“I think we were more controlled tonight, they created a few chances too and Gigio made some big saves, but I saw the right spirit. Locatelli had a great game, the strikers struggled a little, but played the way we had to.

“We had it all to lose this evening, don’t forget that, so I feel we did well.”

Italy have scored at least three goals in each of Gattuso’s four games at the helm, something that predecessor Luciano Spalletti had really struggled with.

“There are few teams in the world now who can dominate matches, so we must be able to suffer under pressure, know how to push through with grit. Once we have the ball, we do have quality, but the most important thing we must improve is that centimetre by centimetre pushing hard.”

UDINE, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Manuel Locatelli of Italy shouts instructions during the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier match between Italy and Israel at Stadio Friuli on October 14, 2025 in Udine, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

The Azzurri knew their chances of getting ahead of Norway in the group are very slim indeed, because even if they manage to win the head-to-head at San Siro next month, Erling Haaland’s men are so far ahead on goal difference.

“Now we’ve got to hope we don’t lose any more players to injury, we’ll meet again in November, and will try to give some new players a chance to shine. We want to create a solid unit that works well together, both on and off the field,” concluded Gattuso.

The play-offs will start with semi-finals in March, and the draw will be made on November 21.