The Azzurri struggle for a half, then explode after the break: Kean opens the scoring, Retegui adds a brace, Raspadori and Bastoni complete the 5-0 rout. Gattuso off to a flying start.
Rino Gattuso’s Italy began their road to the 2026 World Cup with a resounding 5-0 victory over Estonia in front of 22,000 fans at the Gewiss Stadium in Bergamo. After a scoreless first half, the Azzurri shifted gears after the break, putting together a commanding performance that boosted both confidence and morale.
The win, however, doesn’t change Italy’s standing in the group: Israel won in Moldova, leaving Italy in third place. Monday’s clash in Debrecen against the Israelis will be a pivotal showdown in the race for qualification.
A first half full of frustration
Gattuso started with Kean and Retegui up front, supported by Politano and Zaccagni on the wings. Italy came out aggressively, pressing high and dominating possession, creating several early chances. Politano and Dimarco came close to breaking the deadlock, while Zaccagni and Retegui were denied by a brilliant Hein in the Estonian goal.
Estonia focused entirely on defending, keeping all spaces closed and leaving Donnarumma completely untested. Italy controlled the game but couldn’t find a breakthrough, heading into halftime locked at 0-0 and frustrated by missed opportunities.
Kean breaks through, Retegui takes over
After the restart, Hein continued his heroics, but in the 58th minute the resistance finally cracked. Dimarco whipped in a cross, Retegui flicked it on with a clever backheel, and Kean nodded home to make it 1-0, sending Bergamo into celebration.
Just three minutes later, Kean hit the post on a counterattack, setting the stage for the floodgates to open. Gattuso brought on Raspadori and Cambiaso, and the game came to life: in the 69th minute, Retegui doubled the lead off an assist from Raspadori, who then scored himself two minutes later on a cross from Politano to make it 3-0.
In the closing stages, Pio Esposito made his debut, and Italy added two more goals: Retegui headed in his second to make it four, and deep into stoppage time Bastoni capped the rout with the final 5-0 strike.
Gattuso: “A win for the fans”
Gattuso celebrated his first match on the Azzurri bench with an emphatic win:
“I want to thank the boys, they gave everything. It’s just the beginning, but our goal is to bring back excitement and make the fans happy. Now we focus on Israel, a complicated and decisive match.”
Key stats and standout performances
Italy finished with 40 total shots, 13 on target, and 70% possession. Retegui was the star with a brace, Kean broke his scoring drought, and Raspadori made a huge impact off the bench with a goal and two assists.
The win in Bergamo was a major boost for both morale and goal difference, but Monday in Debrecen Italy will need to be clinical to secure three crucial points.
Match Report: Italy 5-0 Estonia
Goals: 58’ Kean, 69’ Retegui, 71’ Raspadori, 89’ Retegui, 90+2’ Bastoni
ITALY (4-4-2): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Calafiori, Dimarco (67’ Cambiaso); Politano (76’ Orsolini), Barella, Tonali (76’ Locatelli), Zaccagni (67’ Raspadori); Kean (84’ P. Esposito), Retegui.
Coach: Gattuso.
ESTONIA (4-2-3-1): Hein; Larsen, Kuusk, Paskotsi (80’ Tamm), Saliste; Palumets, Shein (80’ Soomets); Kristal (61’ Ainsalu), Kait, Sinyavskiy (67’ Saarma); Sappinen (80’ Anier).
Coach: Henn.
Referee: Pinheiro (Portugal)
Booked: Kristal (E), Bastoni (I), Paskotsi (E), Anier (E)
L’articolo World Cup Qualifiers: Italy Run Riot, 5-0 Over Estonia proviene da Soccer Made In Italy.
