Italy strengthened their position at the top of Nations League Group A2 on Monday by beating Israel 4-1 in Udine, where ramped up security measures were put in place for the away side’s first match of 2024 outside Hungary.
Mateo Retegui’s penalty four minutes from half-time, a brace from captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Davide Frattesi’s 72nd-minute strike were enough for Italy to move up to 10 points from four unbeaten matches.
Luciano Spalletti’s side are on the up after a dismal title defence at the European Championship this past summer, although a strong performance was marred by Guglielmo Vicario allowing Mohammed Abu Fani’s corner straight past him in the 65th minute.
Israel, who had played all their previous fixtures in Hungary due to the security situation in the Middle East, stay bottom of the group without a single point.
Udine was placed on high alert for the match, with…
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