Italy moved within touching distance of the Nations League quarter-finals after Giovanni Di Lorenzo's double powered them to a 4-1 triumph over Israel on Monday.
Luciano Spalletti's side will need just a point from either of their last two matches in November to secure progression after a convincing victory in Udine that pushed Israel further towards relegation.
Israel goalkeeper Omri Glazer provided stern resistance in the first half before Mateo Retegui's penalty, awarded for a foul by Dor Peretz on Sandro Tonali, broke the deadlock four minutes before the interval.
Captain Di Lorenzo doubled his side's advantage before the hour, powering a header in from close range after Giacomo Raspadori's inviting free-kick, though Israel halved the deficit with 24 minutes remaining.
Mohamed Abu Fani's corner sneaked past all inside the area, including Guglielmo Vicario, whose appeals for a foul by Dor Peretz were ignored by the officials.
That visiting hope was short-lived, however, as Davide Frattesi swept home a first-time finish from Federico Dimarco's low cross just six minutes after Abu Fani's bizarre goal.
Di Lorenzo capped the scoring 11 minutes from time, profiting from Destiny Udogie's powering run before receiving possession on the edge of the area and drilling into the bottom-left corner.
Data Debrief: Superior finishing the difference
Spalletti will be delighted by his side finishing the game when in control, unlike what they were able to do in Thursday's 2-2 draw with Belgium, largely thanks to the excellence of Di Lorenzo.
The Italy captain scored twice from just two attempts that were worth 0.28 expected goals (xG), suggesting Di Lorenzo's quality of finishing far exceeded the chances on offer.
Since his first goal with the Azzurri, in September 2021 against Lithuania, Di Lorenzo's five goals are also the most by an Italy defender in that period with Dimarco next on three.
Koeman fumes after coming up short in 'all facets of football' against Germany
Ronald Koeman believed his Netherlands side fell short in "all facets of football" after they slumped to a 1-0 defeat to Germany in the Nations League on Monday.
Jamie Leweling netted the only goal of the encounter at the Allianz Arena, marking his senior international debut in style to put his nation on the brink of qualification.
The Netherlands struggled during the contest, ending the game with an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.13, with Donyell Malen's 89th minute effort their only attempt on target.
Koeman's side also managed just eight touches in the opposition box compared to Germany's 26, despite edging the possession at the full-time whistle.
"If you go back too far, you bring that on yourself," Koeman said.
"We came up short on all sides, perhaps in all facets of football. We did things differently at half-time and then we got a bit more rest. But they were much better today.
"I am not satisfied by our performance. The Germans were the better, faster and physically stronger. They created more chances.
"We lost too many balls in the midfield. We went too far back. That was not the plan. The plan was to put pressure forward on the right side. But it did not happen."
The result leaves the Netherlands in second in Group A3, level on points with Hungary after Dominik Szoboszlai's double handed them a 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Stand-in captain Stefan de Vrij echoed Koeman's thoughts after the encounter, saying his side deserved to lose against Germany.
"It seems clear to me that it was a deserved defeat," said De Vrij.
"The first half was very mediocre. We were very sloppy and gave away a number of balls just like that, which allowed them to become dangerous.
"In the second half it was a bit better, but it's hard to create chances."
The Lazio defender took the armband in place of Virgil van Dijk, who was suspended following his red card against Hungary.
Though the Netherlands did not do enough in attack, De Vrij said that Van Dijk's absence from the team had an impact.
"Yes, of course you miss him. He's a very important player and he's our captain. And he's a great defender, so it makes sense that he's missed," De Vrij concluded.
Madrid update on Mbappe's recovery after questions over France absence
Kylian Mbappe was pictured by Real Madrid during an individual recovery programme amid growing questions over his France absence.
Madrid released a statement on Monday to update on the forward's recovery from a muscle issue that kept him out of France's October internationals squad.
Questions had persisted from reports in France after Mbappe was spotted in a Swedish nightclub on Thursday, when Didier Deschamps' side hammered Israel.
Deschamps insisted the matter was not an issue to discuss, though speculation remains over Mbappe's commitment to France, with reports suggesting he is prioritising Madrid and a potential Ballon d'Or.
Los Blancos seemingly sought to quash any growing murmurs of discontent by confirming Mbappe's appearance at the club before France's 2-1 win over Belgium in Brussels.
"Kylian Mbappe continues to work on his individual fitness plan," a short club statement read.
"The forward is working on his own as he tries to recover fully from the discomfort in the biceps femoris of his left leg.
"He trained on his own in the gym and out on the pitch at Real Madrid City, under the guidance of Antonio Pintus, who is in charge of the club's physical preparation."
Mbappe subsequently posted a picture on Instagram of him in the Madrid gym, captioned "back to work" as the former Paris Saint-Germain forward continues his recovery.
The 25-year-old was joined by goalkeeping pair Thibaut Courtois and Andriy Lunin before more of Carlo Ancelotti's squad return from international football on Tuesday.
Deschamps' men did not feel Mbappe's absence, however, as Randal Kolo Muani's brace secured the vital victory over Belgium to boost their top-two hopes in the Nations League.
Luis de la Fuente backed his Spain side to step-up in their Nations League clash against Serbia, despite being without a plethora of their "irreplaceable" players.
Spain know a victory over Tuesday's opponents will put them within touching distance of qualification, having taken seven points from their first three games.
However, De la Fuente will be without Barcelona's Lamine Yamal for the clash in Cordoba, with the 17-year-old the latest name to withdraw from La Roja's ranks.
Yamal limped off in the 93rd minute of their Nations League win over Denmark before returning to Barcelona to undergo further tests, revealing he suffered a hamstring strain.
"(Yamal) is irreplaceable," De la Fuente told a press conference on Monday. "(But) we have to play eleven and whoever replaces him will want to make a statement.
"Lamine is fantastic, but... you have to understand that, in this life, nobody gives anything away for free. Whoever has to replace him, I'm sure they will do it very well."
Yamal has since been replaced in the squad by Atletico Madrid's Rodrigo Riquelme, who will be hoping to make an impact against Serbia.
Yamal's absence only added to Spain's injury woes, with the European champions now without seven key players for the visit of Dragan Stojkovic's side.
Nico Williams, Unai Simon, Dani Carvajal, Robin Le Normand, Rodri and Dani Olmo, who all starred in their Euro 2024 success, are all also unavailable due to injury.
"They are (too) irreplaceable, each one brings different things to the table. But we are lucky that this is a national team and the best players come here," De la Fuente said.
"I never miss anyone, because those who are playing are (also) very good.
"Obviously, we don't work with closed blocks as it happens at club level, but we also have players who have been here for a long time and internalise the messages.
"In a club you have much more time to do many more things than we do."
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