Mateo Retegui steals the show as Italy thrash Estonia 5-0 | OneFootball

At the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo, Italy handed a tough defeat to Estonia with a 5-0 victory in a group stage match of the European Qualifiers for the World Cup. Without a doubt, the standout figure of the night was Mateo Retegui, who scored a double that sealed the match.

The Argentine forward, who is now an Italian national, showcased his goal-scoring instincts by scoring in the 69th minute after a pass from Raspadori, and then again near the end, in the 89th minute, assisted by Cambiaso. Both goals helped to widen the lead on the scoreboard and secure a resounding victory for the team led by Gennaro Gattuso.

The goals came in the second half: Kean opened the scoring in the 58th minute, assisted by a backheel from Retegui. Then, in addition to Retegui's double, Raspadori, Di Lorenzo, and Bastoni also scored, with Bastoni sealing the rout in the 92nd minute.

The match, played on September 5 at the Gewiss Stadium, corresponding to the fifth week of the group stage of the European Qualifiers for the World Cup, had a devastating second half for the locals.

Retegui, unstoppable (REUTERS).

Italy is third

With this result, here are the standings in the group of the European Qualifiers for the World Cup. Norway leads with 12 points, from 4 matches won, with 13 goals for and only 2 against. They are followed by Israel, with 9 points after winning 3 matches and losing 1, with 11 goals for and 6 against. Italy, after this victory, is in third place with 6 points, from 2 matches won and 1 lost, 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 90% pass accuracy, they dominated the match. Estonia, with just 4 shots on goal, suffered from Italy's effectiveness, which scored 5 goals from 40 shots. The visitors committed more fouls, but the Azzurra was more effective in tackles.

How Italy and Estonia arrived

Italy came into this match against Estonia with an irregular performance in their recent commitments. In the last six matches, they achieved two victories (2-0 against Moldova and 1-0 against Belgium), one draw (3-3 with Germany), and three defeats (3-0 against Norway, 2-1 against Germany, and 3-1 against France).

While the team showed solidity at times, the lack of consistency in defense and irregularity in the attack raised doubts ahead of this match corresponding to the fifth date of the group stage of the European Qualifiers for the World Cup. Coach Gennaro Gattuso was looking for a convincing win that would allow the team to regain confidence and set a course towards qualification.

Gennaro Gattuso's debut was a success. EFE.

On the other hand, Estonia faced this match with an urgent need to earn points to improve their position in the standings. Led by Jurgen Henn, they arrived in Bergamo with a recent unfavorable record: a 3-2 victory over Moldova, a goalless draw against Azerbaijan, and four defeats (1-0 against Norway, 3-1 against Israel, 2-1 against Israel, and 1-0 against Slovakia).

The lack of goals and defensive fragility were the main concerns for the Estonian team, which sought to surprise in Italy and earn important points in their fight for World Cup qualification. However, the outlook was not promising, and the visitors needed to show a better version if they wanted to compete on equal terms against the Azzurra.

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. Coach: Gennaro Gattuso.

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This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.