Wild spectacle in the first leg, lean food in the second leg: The four-time soccer world champion Italy laboriously won the high-security home match against Israel, which was accompanied by protests.
In Udine, the hosts prevailed 3-0 (1-0) after already winning 5-4 in the highly dramatic first meeting.
Mateo Retegui (45th+2, hand penalty/74th) scored twice for uninspired Italians, Gianluca Mancini (90th+3) scored the third goal. The Squadra Azzurra consolidated second place with 15 points behind leaders Norway (18), with which the Italians would move into the play-offs. Norway did not play in qualifying on Tuesday.
Italy missed the World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022 and now has to avoid another fiasco. The Italians have not made it past the group stage of a World Cup since winning the title in 2006.
Around 10,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested in Udine on Tuesday against the hosting of the game. 1,000 police officers, supported by helicopters and drones, kept the crowd away from the Stadio Friuli, which was significantly less than half full. In the city center of the northeastern Italian city, the authorities significantly increased security measures on match day.