Gattuso’s statements came today, Saturday, following the ‘Azzurri’s’ five-nil victory over Estonia. He said in a press conference, ‘I congratulate the team on their outstanding performance and high spirit. Now, we must focus on recovery in preparation for Monday’s match, which is a completely different encounter from the Estonia game,’ according to ‘Football Italia’.
The coach, who took over Italy’s leadership from Luciano Spalletti, added, ‘Our goal is to continue the journey towards qualification. Having excellent players is not enough; we must possess unity and determination to face challenges together.’
The Italian team is preparing to meet its Israeli counterpart on Monday at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Hungary, as part of the sixth round of Group Nine. They are in third place with 6 points from 3 matches, while Israel holds 9 points from 4 matches, occupying the group’s second position.
Earlier this month, Hossam Hassan, the coach of the Egypt national football team, revealed his refusal to play a friendly match against the Zambian team due to Israeli coach Avram Grant leading the Zambian team.
Israel continues its war on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023. Despite Arab and international mediation efforts and opposition voices within Israel, Netanyahu’s government insists on continuing the fight. Recently, it announced approval of a plan to control the city of Gaza, which international warnings indicate will lead to a humanitarian disaster, increasing the suffering of the Strip’s residents. The war has killed about 60,000 people and injured about 163,000 others.
