Italy beat Estonia 3-1 in Tallinn to make it three wins from three under Gennaro Gattuso and four consecutive wins in their World Cup qualifying campaign. Although Norway’s 5-0 win against Israel further reduces the chances of finishing top of the group, Italy only need to avoid defeat against Israel in Udine on Tuesday to all but seal second place and a play-off berth.

Kean opened the scoring early in Tallinn but was soon forced off with an ankle sprain. Retegui then missed a penalty but made amends by making it 2-0 shortly afterwards. After the break came Pio Esposito’s first senior goal, while Sappinen capitalised on a mistake from Donnarumma to score a consolation for the hosts. This time, unlike the last away game against Israel in Debrecen, there was no late drop in focus. The victory was clear and well deserved.

“What matters is creating chances: chances and penalties can be missed,” said Gennaro Gattuso. “Once again, I have to thank the lads for their effort and commitment. Now, we need to recover, because history shows we tend to struggle in our second game. There’s a lot at stake: if we win on Tuesday, Israel are out of contention. We have a mission, and that is to grow match by match. I’m very happy, but we must keep building confidence and continue to improve.”

KEAN STRIKES EARLY. Up front, the Kean-Retegui partnership was retained, with just two changes to the starting XI selected in Bergamo a month ago. With the Politano and Zaccagni sidelined, Gattuso turned to two attacking wide players – Orsolini and Raspadori – in a 4-4-2 formation that shifted into a 4-2-4 in possession.

Italy came out on the front foot, attacking from the off and opening the scoring almost immediately. Kean latched onto a through ball from Dimarco, got the better of Kuusk with some quick footwork, and struck a right-footed shot past Hein. It was the Fiorentina striker’s eleventh goal for the Azzurri – and his sixth in his last four appearances. While it took 58 minutes to break down Estonia in Bergamo, this time Italy needed just five to get the match moving in their favour. Shortly afterwards, however, Kean landed awkwardly and twisted his ankle. Moise limped off and was replaced by Pio Esposito, who would later take centre stage. Having taken the lead, the Azzurri continued to press, winning several corners and spending much of the first half in the opposition box.

RETEGUI ADDS A SECOND. The play was fluid, the tempo high, and Orsolini and Raspadori were almost like two extra strikers. On the half-hour mark, Retegui won a penalty and stepped up to take it, but Hein went the right way to keep it out via the post. It would have been the Azzurri’s 100th goal from the penalty spot, but no harm done. Because the Azzurri No.9 made amends eight minutes later, expertly converting Orsolini’s assist. 2-0, and a very dominant first-half display.

PIO’S FIRST GOAL. The second half began the newly introduced Sinyavskiy sending a shot off target for the hosts. At the other end, Retegui and then Raspadori, denied by the outrushing Hein, came close to making it 3–0. For the final half an hour, Gattuso made changes out wide, bringing on Cambiaso and Spinazzola, with the latter making his Azzurri return more than two years after his last appearance. And the Napoli full-back marked it with an assist, setting up Pio Esposito to score his first Italy goal with a fine first-time finish (74’).

Bastoni, walking the suspension tightrope, picked up a yellow card that will rule him out of Tuesday’s match against Israel. Later, one of the very rare mistakes in Gigio Donnarumma’s career – letting a harmless cross from Soomets slip through his hands – allowed Sappinen to pull a goal back. Inevitably, thoughts turned to the end of the game in Debrecen against Israel where Italy, after dominating, almost threw away victory. This time, however, there were no further lapses.

On Tuesday, in Udine, the Azzurri could secure a place in the March play-offs. Meanwhile, beyond the unlikely scenario of huge wins in the next three matches, keeping alive the dream of topping the group would require Norway to slip up against Estonia on 13 November in Oslo. As improbable as it seems, if that were to happen, the clash with the Scandinavians on 16 November at San Siro would turn into a World Cup qualification decider. For now, though, the focus is on the match against Israel, with securing second place the top priority.

ESTONIA 1-3 ITALIA

ESTONIA (4-2-3-1): Hein; Peetson, Paskotsi, Kuusk (62’ Mets), Saliste (46’ Sinyavskiy); Shein (84’ Mustmaa), Palumets (46’ Schjonning-Larsen); Kait, Soomets, Saarma; Tamm (62’ Sappinen). Substitutes: Igonen, Perk, Yakovlev, Kristal, Miller, Vektal. Head Coach: Henn.

ITALY (4-4-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori, Dimarco; Barella (83’ Frattesi), Tonali, Orsolini (62’ Cambiaso), Raspadori (62’ Spinazzola); Kean (15’ Esposito), Retegui (83’ Cristante). Substitutes: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Gabbia, Udogie, Mancini, Locatelli, Cambiaghi. Head Coach: Gattuso.

Goals: 5’ Kean (I), 38’ Retegui (I), 74’ Esposito (I), 76’ Sappinen (E)

Referee: Gözübüyük (Netherlands); assistants: Zeinstra and Inia (Netherlands); fourth official: Kooij (Netherlands); VAR: Dieperink (Netherlands); AVAR: Manschot (Netherlands).

Note: 30’ Retegui penalty saced. Barella (I), Kuusk (E), Palumets (E), Peetson (E), Bastoni (I), Cambiaso (I) and Sinyavskiy (E) booked

GROUP I CALENDAR, RESULTS AND STANDINGS

Norway 5-0 Israel

Estonia 1-3 ITALY

14 October, 18:00 CEST – Estonia vs. Moldova (Tallinn)

14 October, 20:45 CEST – ITALY vs. Israel (Udine)

13 November, 18:00 CET – Norway vs. Estonia (Oslo)

13 November, 20:45 CET – Moldova vs. ITALY (Chisinau)

16 November, 20:45 CET – Israel vs. Moldova (Debrecen)

16 November, 20:45 CET – ITALY vs. Norway (Milan)

Standings: Norway 18 points (6 matches played), ITALY 12 (5), Israel 9 (6), Estonia 3 (6), Moldova 0 (5)