Italy Secures 2-0 Victory Over Moldova In Spalletti's Final Match As Coach

Add as a preferred source on Google

Luciano Spalletti's tenure with Italy concluded positively as they secured a 2-0 win over Moldova in a World Cup qualifier. This match, held at the MAPEI Stadium, marked his last game after announcing his departure following a 3-0 loss to Norway. Despite an early scare from Moldova, Italy managed to dominate and secure victory.

Ion Nicolaescu thought he had given Moldova an early lead in the ninth minute. However, VAR disallowed the goal due to offside. This incident spurred Italy into action, with Luca Ranieri hitting the crossbar and Federico Dimarco narrowly missing the target soon after.

Giacomo Raspadori broke the deadlock in the 40th minute. A headed clearance fell to him, and he volleyed it into the bottom-left corner. This goal was crucial for Italy's momentum. "9 - Since his debut with Italy (4th June 2021), Giacomo #Raspadori has scored the most goals for the Azzurri: 9. Jack." June 9, 2025

Federico Dimarco played a vital role defensively by clearing Daniel Dumbravanu's header off the line before halftime. This ensured Italy maintained their lead going into the break.

Andrea Cambiaso extended Italy's lead five minutes into the second half. He scored after Riccardo Orsolini set up a perfect opportunity for him against Cristian Avram, Moldova's goalkeeper. Despite missing another chance later on through Davide Frattesi, Italy held firm.

This victory was significant as it marked Italy's first win in Group I of their qualifying campaign. However, they remain nine points behind Norway, who defeated Estonia 1-0.

Spalletti's Departure and Team Statistics

The unexpected news of Spalletti leaving could have disrupted Italy’s World Cup qualification hopes further. Yet, they managed to secure a crucial win on what was a tense evening against Moldova.

Italy ended with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.63 from 28 shots, seven of which were on target. In contrast, Moldova had an xG of 1.33 from their 18 attempts. The difference lay in Italy’s attacking quality, particularly Raspadori’s impactful performance.

Since debuting for Italy in June 2021, Raspadori has been prolific, scoring more than any other player for the national team with nine goals.