Gareth Taylor has brushed off the idea of a rift between himself and Chloe Kelly after reports of the forward making a possible exit.

Reports earlier this week suggested that Taylor and Kelly had a falling out which has seen her playing time limited for Manchester City at the start of the Women's Super League campaign.

Kelly was an influential figure last term for City, making 21 appearances in the top-flight and creating the second-most chances of any player in the league (51), behind only Manchester United's Katie Zelem (57).

However, she has made just two appearances in the WSL so far this campaign and only started one of those games.

The 26-year-old is in the final year of her contract, but Taylor has played down the rumours of a breakdown in their relationship over her contract.

"There is no news on the contract. The story was a non-event, especially after such a solid performance," Taylor said in a press conference ahead of their Champions League meeting with St. Polten.

"Chloe has been great and is working hard. She understands that things are slightly different to last season. We have been able to strengthen, but she has contributed.

"Like the rest of the players, you have to be ready. Chloe has been great in that sense and is really aligned. She is with the team and is working so hard with the team.

"She is doing everything we are expecting of her. She has contributed in the limited time already and that is what we are looking for."

City began their Champions League campaign with a statement 2-0 victory over reigning champions Barcelona at the Joie Stadium last week.

Taylor's side are the favourites for their clash against St. Polten on Wednesday, having won their previous two encounters with the Austrian team in 2017-18, both by a 3-0 scoreline.

While the manager acknowledged that it may look like an easy tie on paper, his side will not underestimate their opponents.

"People probably see it as a game that is won before it is played, but I don't at all," he added.

"They were in the game for large parts against Hammarby and at 1-0 that game could easily have been drawn.

"It's a big game for us and an opportunity to build on a great moment last week."

An own goal at either end saw Japan and Australia draw 1-1 in the third round of World Cup qualifying on Tuesday.

Australia's stuttering start to qualifying continued, as Cameron Burgess bundled into his own net as the visitors failed to hold onto their lead.

It was all Japan in the opening stages, but despite their first-half dominance, they struggled to create an opening, with only Ritsu Doan testing Joe Gauci.

Australia, whose only shot came in the seventh minute, took the lead against the run of play – Lewis Miller's low cross was turned into the back of the net by Shogo Taniguchi, who should have done better with the clearance.

Japan got their own slice of luck in the 76th minute though, as Keito Nakamura weaved his way down the left to the byline before pulling it back into the middle, and Gauci could not keep out Burgess' attempted block.

The hosts attempted to push for a late winner, but Australia sat deep to protect what could prove a crucial point against another of Asia's best teams.

Data Debrief: Firing blanks

It was far from a classic, with both teams offering little in terms of attacking threat. In fact, Australia did not manage a single shot on target, only logging one overall. 

Indeed, their expected goals (xG) tells the story, with Australia mustering just 0.01, in contrast to Japan's 0.76, which came from 12 shots, and only three of those were on target.

Taniguchi's own goal is the fourth that Australia have benefitted from in 2024, while only in 2018 have they ever recorded more such goals (five).

Trinidad and Tobago’s Soca Warriors gifted interim Head coach Derek King his first win in charge as they defeated Cuba 3-1 in a crucial Concacaf Nations League encounter at Dwight Yorke Stadium in Scarborough on Monday night.

The Soca Warriors, who entered their final Group B contest in danger of being relegated, literally saved their best for last with a dominant performance that saw them preserve their League A status. They

Trinidad and Tobago’s fourth place finish on five points, also secured them a spot in the preliminaries of the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. Jamaica (eight points) and Honduras (seven points) took the quarterfinal spots as well as automatic berths into the Gold Cup, while Nicaragua placed third on seven points by virtue of an inferior goal difference.

Cuba (three points) and French Guiana (one point) have been relegated to League B for the next edition of the tournament.

Knowing what is at stake, Trinidad and Tobago, who let a two-goal lead slip away to Cuba on last, wasted little time to declare their intentions. They broke the deadlock in the 13th minute thanks to Dantaye Gilbert, who fired home from close range.

Joevin Jones repaid King’s confidence in him on return to the programme, as he doubled the Soca Warriors lead with a tidy right-footed finish in the 38th minute. Interestingly, that goal took his tally to five to extend his lead as the Twin Island Republic’s all-time top scorer in the Nations League.

Andre Rampersad and Nathaniel James had grand opportunities to push Trinidad and Tobago further ahead, but both were denied by Cuba’s custodian Raiko Arozarena two minutes apart in the 41st and 43rd minutes, respectively.

Cuba threatened to make things interesting after the interval as Yasnier Matos pulled one back in the 62nd minute.

However, Real Gil ensured nothing of the sort transpired when he restored the Soca Warriors’ two-goal cushion with a decent solo effort in the 65th.

Cuba’s problems and, by extension, their chances of avoiding relegation were compounded when Karel Perez Mendoza was shown a red card in the 70th. From there, Trinidad and Tobago did what was required to see off the remaining minutes.

Daniel Maldini, son of Italy great Paolo, made his international debut in their 4-1 win over Israel, becoming the third generation of his family to play for the Azzurri.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Mateo Retegui and Davide Frattesi scored the goals, ensuring they remained top of their Nations League group after four games.

Maldini came on as a 74th-minute substitute to replace Giacomo Raspadori on Monday, with his father, who earned 126 caps for the national team, watching from the stands.

It is the first time three generations of a family have played for Italy's national team, with Paolo Maldini's final match coming 22 years and 118 days ago, while Cesare Maldini, Daniel's grandfather, played for the last time 61 years and one day ago.

"I'm happy that my parents came here, we'll talk when I get home," Daniel Maldini, who also played for Milan like his father and grandfather, said after the match.

"It was a strong, positive emotion, I am very happy to have played and that the match went well.

"I hope to bring some quality, even if there is already too much. I try to help as much as I can."

Jonas Eidevall has called time on his spell as Arsenal head coach after an underwhelming start to the campaign.

The Gunners have been tipped as title contenders in the Women's Super League this season, yet they have won just one of their opening four matches.

They also went down 5-2 to Bayern Munich in their first Women's Champions League group stage match last week, before losing 2-1 to Chelsea to suffer their first loss of the WSL season.

A bad week that started with a draw against struggling Everton and ended with that loss to Chelsea at Emirates Stadium has ultimately signalled the end of Eidevall's tenure.

Arsenal confirmed on Tuesday that the Swede, who was appointed in June 2021 and has overseen 120 matches in all competitions, had resigned.

Renee Slegers, the first team assistant coach, will take over in the interim until Arsenal, who face Valerenga on Wednesday before taking on West Ham on Sunday, confirm their next permanent appointment.

Gunners sporting director Edu said: "We thank Jonas for his commitment to the club and achievements here since joining us in 2021. We have great respect for the dedication and commitment he showed to our women’s first team and recognise the role he has played in the growth and development of Arsenal Women. 

"We all wish him the very best for the future. Our focus will now turn to the process of appointing a new head coach, and in the meantime, supporting Renee, as she takes interim charge of the team starting with two important fixtures this week."

Eidevall led Arsenal to back-to-back Women's League Cup titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24, as well as finishing second in the WSL in his first season, and third in each of the past two campaigns.

The 41-year-old won 80 matches in all competitions, for a win ratio of 66.67%.

In the WSL, he picked up an average of 2.24 points per game from 70 matches. Of the five Arsenal bosses to oversee at least 10 fixtures in the competition, that points per game average is the fourth-lowest, ahead of only Pedro Martinez Losa (1.94).

On Saturday, in the defeat to Chelsea, Eidevall matched his predecessor Joe Montemurro as the Arsenal manager with the most games in the WSL. 

Eidevall's team scored 171 goals, winning 49 games (70%). Since he took over at Arsenal, only Man City (178) and Chelsea (209) have scored more goals than the Gunners.

Meanwhile, of ever-present WSL teams in that time, only Chelsea (45) have conceded fewer goals than Arsenal (50), and the Blues are also the only side to lose fewer matches (seven, compared to the Gunners' 11 defeats). 

Julian Nagelsmann hailed Germany's first-half display against the Netherlands as their best performance of 2024.

And Nagelsmann said his "supercharged" team have big ambitions after Monday's 1-0 win in Munich, which came a year to the day since he took charge of his first game—a 3-1 friendly win over the United States.

Germany are unbeaten in the Nations League after four games, and sit five points clear at the top of their group.

The Dutch did not manage a single shot in the first half, with Germany having eight themselves, albeit Nagelsmann's team had to wait until the 64th minute to make the breakthrough as Jamie Leweling marked his senior bow with the decisive goal.

"The first half tonight was the best we’ve played this year," said Nagelsmann.

"The greed that the team embodied was a huge step [forward].

"We did well and let very little in. We absolutely deserved to win.

"We've got the ambition to keep going. There's a supercharged atmosphere in the dressing room—they want to win."

An ecstatic Leweling told ZDF network: "We won as a team, I scored the 1-0, we won 1-0, but we did well and I'm just happy I could help out.

"The Dutch are a top nation, but we played a good game."

Leweling is the first debutant under Nagelsmann to score in his first appearance for Germany. Niclas Fullkrug was the last player to net on his senior debut, in 2022.

At the other end of the pitch, Nagelsmann handed a debut to goalkeeper Oliver Baumann.

Aged 34 years and 131 days, Baumann is the second-oldest Germany debutant (after Matthias Mauritz) in the post-war era and the oldest goalkeeper to make his debut for the national team.

Not that Baumann had much to do. Indeed, he had only one save to make, with the Netherlands mustering only one attempt on target and a meagre 0.13 expected goals.

Didier Deschamps hailed a "radiant" Randal Kolo Muani after the forward's double helped France see off Belgium 2-1.

France made it three wins in a row in the Nations League on Monday, with Kolo Muani's goals doing the damage at Stade Roi Baudouin.

Kolo Muani converted a first-half penalty before heading home what proved to be the winner in the 62nd minute, after Lois Openda had restored parity.

Having also netted in the reverse fixture against Belgium last month, the Paris Saint-Germain forward is France's leading scorer in their Nations League campaign.

And with Kylian Mbappe absent, head coach Deschamps, who was handed an early birthday present by France's win, has been impressed by Kolo Muani's attitude and application.

Speaking to TF1, Deschamps said: "He's interesting, he's radiant.

"He is confident and has a very specific profile where in his runs with the ball has a presence. He is a good header [of the ball] and with us he is very often successful."

France have now won their last five matches against Belgium. Only against the Faroe Islands have Les Bleus had a longer winning streak (six games).

They had to do it the hard way, though, with stand-in captain Aurelien Tchouameni seeing red in the 76th minute.

Tchouameni became the first France player to be sent off since Jules Kounde in September 2021 (v Bosnia-Herzegovina), and the first as captain (from when the match kicked off) since Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final.

Belgium finished with 20 shots to France's 14 and more expected goals (2.64xG to 1.49xG), yet the visitors got the job done to move onto nine points from their four matches.

"We were shaken for the first 20 to 25 minutes," explained Deschamps, who turned 56 on Tuesday.

"Belgium put in a lot of intensity, while we made a lot of technical errors.

"When we were able to find solutions going forward, it was better for us.

"We had to shake the players up. It was mostly the mistakes, we had to calm down.

"We had to go forward and press well. Of course, they had chances, but so did we in the second half. We're happy to win this match, especially with 10 men."

Jamaica’s senior Reggae Boyz closed out their Group B Concacaf Nations League campaign with a goalless stalemate against Honduras at the National Stadium on Monday night.

While their performance wasn’t the most impressive in terms of flair or attacking threat, the Jamaicans did enough to finish atop the League A group on eight points to secure a quarterfinals berth.

Honduras, who placed second on seven points, also advanced to the next stage of the competition. Nicaragua (seven points), Trinidad and Tobago (five points), Cuba (three points), and French Guiana (one point) complete the group.

Jamaica and Honduras now join Concacaf’s top-ranked teams, United States, Panama, Mexico, and Canada, in the knockout round, with the top two finishers in Group A—to be decided on Tuesday—set to meet them there.

The Jamaicans entered the game aiming to build on their 2-0 win over Nicaragua just days earlier, but found themselves stifled in the final third, particularly in the first half.

In fact, it was a slow start by both teams, as they took some time to settle into their respective game plans to prove an attacking threat in open play. The Reggae Boyz moreso displayed patience in an attempt to efficiently execute the possession-based style play desired by Head coach Steve McClaren.

However, while they tried to work out how to break down Honduras' low block tactics in midfield, the visitors launched a few good counterattacks from which they should have piled misery on the Boyz, but for a lack of quality in the final third.

Honduras had eight shots at goal in the first half, compared to Jamaica’s solitary effort, which came in the 33rd when an unmarked Ethan Pinnock fired wide from Demarai Gray's corner kick.

Prior to that, Honduras' first warning shot came in the seventh minute from Edwin Rodriguez, whose right-footer from a distance was easily palmed down by Andre Blake.

Three minutes later, a short pass by Mason Holgate was picked up by Honduras and almost proved costly. Luckily for the Boyz, Joel Latibeaudiere recovered well to avert the danger.

Though they bossed possession, the Reggae Boyz struggled to convert their dominance into clear-cut scoring opportunities, leaving fans at the National Stadium craving more attacking dynamism.

This, as Honduras continued to show more purpose in the attacking third and kept Blake busy, as Jorge Alvarez's 21st-minute shot from the top of the 18-yard box went straight at the Philadelphia Union goaltender.

In the 32nd, Holgate again gave up possession to Antony Lozano, who went on the break, but the Honduran, sporting the number nine jersey and the captain's armband, muffed his effort and gave the Jamaicans a reprieve.

Lozano went on another break in the 38th, but again lacked composure where it mattered most as he slammed a rushed right-footer into the sidenetting.

The Jamaicans were more spirited on the resumption, especially with the introduction of Renaldo Cephas and Kaheim Dixon. Both fleet-footed attackers combined well at times with Michail Antonio and Gray, but their hunt for the go-head goal proved fruitless. 

Dixon went close in the 69th when he drove a right-footer along the turf, but the effort went just wide of the right upright. 

The former Clarendon College and Arnett Gardens stalwart, who now plies his trade at Charlton Athletic, applied pressure in the 79th and went down in a challenge for possession with Honduras' goalkeeper Edrick Menjivar. However, his appeal for a penalty was waved off by American referee Armando Villarreal.

Honduras' best effort of the half came in the 80th when Kervin Arriaga lashed a stinging left-footed drive from about 20 yards out, but it was tipped over by Blake, who produced another steady performance between the posts, to not only keep a clean sheet but, more importantly, demonstrate the calm leadership he's known for.

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.

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."

Craig Bellamy insists there is still room for improvement for Wales after seeing off Montenegro 1-0 to make it four games without defeat.

Harry Wilson's 36th-minute penalty earned Wales all three points in Monday's Nations League Group B4 clash at Cardiff City Stadium.

Bellamy, who succeeded Rob Page in July, is the first Wales head coach to avoid defeat in his first four games in charge of the senior men's side.

As well as beating Montenegro home and away, Wales have also drawn 0-0 at home to Turkiye and 2-2 in Iceland.

Reflecting on his side's latest win, Bellamy told S4C: "I was impressed by us being able to control the tempo of the second half, but we still need improvement on it.

"You will get breaks and it feels like you can score because they have players forward, but it's also dangerous then for the counter.

"That transitional game becomes a little complicated, whereas in the first half they sat a lot deeper which allows us to really control the tempo of the game. Of course at the moment that really suits us.

"But we have got to stay calm, in transition but even when we have knockdowns and balls in and around.

"You secure the ball and pass to your team-mates and there are still bits for improvement we need, but we were better than last time."

Match-winner Wilson has now been directly involved in nine goals in his past 11 appearances for Wales, as many as in his previous 41 matches.

The Fulham forward kept his place in a much-changed Wales side on the back of Friday's draw in Iceland, which showed seven alterations in all.

Wilson was the star performer in a game Wales dominated for large parts, with Montenegro failing to register a single shot on target.

It means the Dragons have avoided facing an effort on target in two of their past seven matches across all competitions, matching the tally from their previous 34 games.

For all Wales' dominance, though, Montenegro substitute Andrija Radulovic fired a 20-yard drive against the crossbar.

"There were a lot of changes, and a lot of players who all definitely deserved the opportunity to play as well," Bellamy added. "The Nations League is so good and so competitive."

Wales trail leaders Turkiye by two points heading into next month's contest in Kayseri, before the Dragons round off their Nations League campaign at home to Iceland.

Montenegro, bottom of the table without a point and on a record run of six losses in a row, host Iceland and Turkiye in their final two matches.

Randal Kolo Muani's brace was enough to see 10-man France claim an important 2-1 triumph over Belgium in their Nations League Group A2 clash on Monday. 

Kolo Muani netted either side of Lois Openda's first-half header before the visitors saw out the remaining 14 minutes after Aurelien Tchouameni's dismissal for two bookable offences.

Belgium had the opportunity to take the lead when William Saliba's untimely slip wiped out Openda, only for Youri Tielemans to blaze his spot-kick over the crossbar.

Didier Deschamps' side made no such mistake from 12 yards soon after, with Kolo Muani converting after Wout Faes' handball to hand France the lead in the 34th minute.

Openda restored parity on the stroke of half-time, nodding Timothy Castagne's cross beyond Mike Maignan, only for Kolo Muani to edge France back into the lead when rising highest to power a header underneath the grasp of Koen Casteels just past the hour.

Belgium were handed a late lifeline in their attempts to snatch a point when France's stand-in captain Tchouameni received a second yellow card for a foul on Tielemans, yet the visitors held on for an important win.

Domenico Tedesco's side sit five points behind France and six adrift of leaders Italy with two games remaining after this significant blow to their top-two hopes in Brussels.

Data Debrief: Kolo Muani Belgium's nemesis once again

Kolo Muani continued his impressive streak for France in the Nations League here, notching his third goal of the competition, all of which have come against Belgium.

The Paris Saint-Germain striker ended the contest as Les Bleus' biggest attacking threat, registering an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.86 of France's 1.42 total.

Tchouameni, however, endured a night to forget in Belgium as his red saw him become the first player since Jules Kounde in September 2021 to be sent off for France, and the first as Les Bleus' captain at kick-off since Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 World Cup final.

Jamie Leweling netted the winner on his senior international debut as Germany beat the Netherlands 1-0 in Monday's Nations League clash at the Allianz Arena.

The Stuttgart forward, in for the injured Deniz Undav, had a goal within two minutes of his first cap ruled out after a VAR check showed Serge Gnabry was offside in the build-up.

However, there was no denying Leweling in the 64th minute as the 23-year-old thumped a loose ball inside the box into the bottom corner past Bart Verbruggen to give the hosts a deserved lead in Munich.

Verbruggen had undoubtedly been the busier of the two goalkeepers up until that point, making four saves prior to the breakthrough from Leweling, who also had a goal-bound shot blocked near the line by Stefan de Vrij.

The Netherlands twice went close to equalising in the final 15 minutes, but Oliver Baumann got a faint touch to a long-range Xavi Simons drive to help it onto the crossbar and then superbly helped Donyell Malen's powerful effort wide.

The win moves Germany to 10 points from their first four Group A3 matches, five points clear of the Netherlands and Hungary - 2-0 winners away at Bosnia-Herzegovina - who each have five points with two games remaining.

Data Debrief: Debutants decide the game

Leweling was a threat throughout on his debut as he scored one, had another disallowed and had an effort blocked off the line, generating an expected goals (xG) value of 0.35 - the highest of any player on the field.

Just as key to the victory was fellow Germany debutant Baumann, who produced two big saves in the second half. 

Aged 34 years and 131 days, he became the second-oldest Germany debutant (after Matthias Mauritz) in the post-war era and the oldest goalkeeper to make his debut in the country's history.

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.