Italy legend and manager Gennaro Gattuso was involved in a heated row with an Israel player after seeing his side secure a dramatic late win in their World Cup qualifier.
The 2006 champions remain in a battle to reach the finals of the competition next summer after losing to group leaders Norway earlier in qualifying, meaning they sit second in their group.
Only the group winners will qualify automatically, meaning the side’s return game on matchday eight against Norway could prove to be vital in deciding whether they earn a spot in the draw for the competition in North America.
Things almost got even worse on Monday night, too, with Gattuso’s men needing a dramatic late winner in a nine-goal thriller to pick up three points and at least put things in their own hands.
Had they lost, Israel would have remained above them in the group, putting their hopes of even a play-off place in jeopardy – that, though, has been saved at least for now.
That came after a 5-4 win for the Italians in a game that saw seven second half goals scored and a dramatic ending that saw a clash on the pitch.
Italy legend and manager Gennaro Gattuso clashed with an Israel player after his side won their latest World Cup qualifying match
Israel forward Dor Turgeman confronted Gattuso at full time and a row ensued
It was 1-1 at the break after former Everton man Moise Kean had cancelled out Manuel Locatelli’s own goal, before chaos ensued in the second period.
Dor Peretz scored the first of his two goals on the night to give Israel the lead, before Kean struck his second to square things up again. Matteo Politano then gave Italy the led for the first time, and Giacomo Raspadori made it 4-2 just nine minutes from time.
The win was far from secured, though. Peretz’s second of the game followed an own goal from Alessandro Bastoni as it looked like the points would be shared, but Newcastle star Sandro Tonali popped up in the 91st minute to bag the winner and send the away side into raptures.
It proved to be a tough game for Manchester City new boy Gianluigi Donnarumma, meanwhile. The goalkeeper made four saves but conceded as many goals, and at one point early on in the game punched a corner into his own net before his blushes was spared by the referee.
Still, he came out on the winning side, and remains in line to make his debut for City this weekend against rivals Manchester United following his £26million move from Paris Saint-Germain.
At the end of the game, meanwhile, there were hostile scenes as Israel forward Dor Turgeman confronted Gattuso, who bid to stand up for himself before the likes of Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori pulled the manager away.
‘It was murder today,’ Gattuso told Sky Sport Italia after the game. ‘It’s the craziest game I’ve been involved with as a coach, but it is my problem and not that of the players.
‘If we want to play in a certain way, we need to get better at this. We were crazy to systematically go on the attack, that’s what Israel were waiting for, they hit us on the counter every time. We could’ve defended deeper when leading.
Gianluigi Donnarumma also had a tough game, with one first half error spared by the referee
‘They surprised us a bit coming man for man at the start, but every time we attacked, we caused them problems. We weren’t very sharp, that’s inevitable after the second game in a few days, and we need to work on that.
‘We’re a crazy team, because we are too fragile, we concede ridiculous goals too easily. The lads know that, but this is my problem, not theirs. We come from a football where it’s about references, but we need to work on being our own team first.’
‘The lads deserve credit for always reacting to every slap in the face, but it’s undeniable we cannot concede goals as easily as we did today. It’s not criticism for our players, me and my staff have to improve and work on that as soon as possible. This is a team that cannot lack solidity.”
He was full of praise for his match-winner, too.
‘Sandro is technically far better than I was,’ Gattusso added, ‘I had a lot less quality.
‘Perhaps I am a tad better tactically, but he is still learning. Locatelli, Barella, all those who are in the squad are helping and learning. They know what needs to be done, I can only thank them for their efforts.’
Italy’s remaining games are against Estonia, Israel, Moldova and Norway in all of their reverse fixtures, with qualification finishing in mid-November.
