Italy Dominates Estonia 5-0 As Gattuso Kicks Off World Cup Qualifying Journey

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Gennaro Gattuso's tenure as Italy's head coach began with a decisive 5-0 victory over Estonia in a World Cup qualifier in Bergamo. All five goals were scored in the second half, with Mateo Retegui netting twice. Moise Kean, Giacomo Raspadori, and Alessandro Bastoni also contributed to the scoreline. Despite this win, Italy remains six points behind Group I leaders Norway but has a game in hand.

Italy's first-half performance was dominant, with 17 shots compared to Estonia's none. However, they struggled with finishing. Moise Kean missed a chance from 10 yards out, and Mateo Politano's header was off target. Retegui's header at the end of the half was tipped onto the crossbar by Karl Hein. Sandro Tonali also had a volley saved by Hein before Kean finally opened the scoring.

The second half saw Italy break through when Kean nodded in after Retegui flicked on Federico Dimarco’s cross. Mattia Zaccagni had a close-range header saved and missed another opportunity before Retegui doubled Italy’s lead with a shot into the bottom left corner after 69 minutes. Raspadori added another goal by heading Politano’s cross into the net.

Retegui secured his second goal by glancing Andrea Cambiaso’s cross home, and Bastoni completed the rout with a powerful header during injury time. This performance marked Italy's first time scoring more than three goals in a match since September 2021 against Lithuania.

Italy’s previous coach, Luciano Spalletti, departed following a disappointing 3-0 loss to Norway in June. He briefly returned for a 2-0 win over Moldova before Gattuso took over. Gattuso, who won the World Cup as a player in 2006, led Italy to this impressive five-goal display.

The hosts' dominance was evident through their expected goals (xG) tally of 4.43 compared to Estonia’s mere 0.41. Retegui stood out with seven shots, two of which were on target.

This victory provides Gattuso and his team with momentum as they continue their World Cup qualifying campaign. The Azzurri will aim to build on this performance to close the gap on Norway and secure their place at the top of Group I.