Daily Times

Italy continued their post-Euro 2024 recovery on Monday with a tight 2-1 Nations League win over Israel in Budapest which put the Azzurri top of Group A2. Goals in each half from Davide Frattesi and Moise Kean were enough for Italy to win in a subdued atmosphere at the Bozsik Arena which hosted the Israel home fixture due to the security situation in the Middle East. Luciano Spalletti’s team have reacted well to their disastrous European Championship title defence, which ended at the last-16 stage, and deserved their second win in a matters of days. Monday’s victory on a soaking night in the Hungarian capital, and France beating Belgium 2-0 in Lyon, allowed Italy to take top spot in their group on a perfect six points, three ahead of both Les Bleus and the Red Devils. The crowd of 2,000 fans meant Monday’s match did not have the feel of a senior international match, with the main off-pitch event coming during Israel’s national anthem ahead of kick-off, when a small group of Italy fans turned their backs to the pitch.