BUDAPEST, Hungary, Sept 9 (Askume) – Goals from Davide Frateci and Moise Kean plus a brace from Luciano Spalletti helped Italy beat Israel 2-1 on Monday to maintain their best record in Group 2 of the National League A.
The Italian team beat France 3-1 in Friday’s first game and temporarily went top with 6 points.
France are second with three points, equal with third-placed Belgium, who beat Belgium 2–0 in the group’s other match , while Israel are bottom of the group with no points.
Before half-time, Frateci chested the ball in from close range to give the Italian side the lead, before an hour later Keane collected the rebound and scored, making it 2–0.
Israel reduced the margin with a goal from Mohammed Abu Fani from the edge of the area in the 90th minute before the hosts, who were hosting the match in Budapest, Hungary, were awarded a free kick for security reasons.
The Italians collected three points, but it paled in comparison to their strong performance at the Parc des Princes.
Spalletti made five changes to the side that beat France, with Giacomo Raspadori and Moise Kean replacing Lorenzo Pellegrini and Matteo Reti.
Also missing is Italian defender Riccardo Calafiore, who will miss the game with a calf strain.
Frateci’s performance was questioned before the game but he provided quality play throughout and ended the first half with a pass to Federico Di Marco into the bottom corner for the 2020 European Cup winner to open the scoring.
Israeli goalkeeper Yoav Gerafi prevented Fratesi from doubling their lead just after half-time when defender Alessandro Bastoni threw the ball into the box, with the 24-year-old midfielder attempting a low shot.
Frattesi also scored in the win over France and remains top scorer for Spalletti’s Italian side, which he takes over as head coach in August 2023.
Keane scored Italy’s second goal in the 62nd minute. Graffi dived to save Giacomo Raspadori’s shot but was unable to stop the follow-up from Keane, who shot powerfully the first time he touched the ball.
Italy grew in confidence after the second goal and came close to scoring a third but Sandro Tonali’s close-range effort was ruled out for offside.
Instead, Israel scored just before the final whistle to ensure a tense end to the game as they maintained reasonable possession against their more experienced opponents.
Israel lost 3-1 to Belgium in their first A-League match on Friday . They previously secured promotion to the top flight by winning league Group B in the 2022-23 season.
