Italy starting XI (3-5-1-1): Donnarumma, Di Lorenzo, Bastoni, Ranieri (subbed for Coppola), Cambiaso, Frattesi, Ricci (subbed for Barella), Tonali, Dimarco (subbed for Orsolini),
Raspadori (subbed for Maldini), Retegui (subbed for Lucca)
Bench: Meret, Carnesecchi, Coppola, Rovella, Gatti, Udogie, Casadei, Rugani
Goals: Raspadori 40’, Cambiaso 50’
Moldova starting XI (3-4-3): Avram, Baboglo, Mudrac, Dumbravanu, Platica, Ionita (subbed for Dros), Bodisteanu (subbed for Motpan), Reabciuk, Caimacov (subbed for Stina), Nicolaescu (subbed for Damascan), Postolachi (subbed for Perciun)
Bench: Straistari, Cojuhar, Bors, Posmac, Motoc, Stefan, Bitca
Spalletti was informed ahead of Monday night’s game in Reggio Emilia that he would be losing his job as Italy coach in the wake of the team’s 3-0 loss in Norway last week, which marked a dreadful way to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
Goals by Giacomo Raspadiro and Andrea Cambiaso meant Spalletti at least departed with a victory. Yet the Azzurri remained in a perilous position in Group I, with Norway beating Estonia 1-0 — thanks to Erling Haaland’s 62nd-minute goal — to make it four wins from four halfway through qualifying.
Italy stay nine points behind Norway — albeit having played two fewer matches — and might have missed a good chance to rack up some goals to boost their goal difference.
Only the top team from each of the 12 groups qualify automatically for next year’s expanded 48-team tournament in North America. The runners-up go into the playoffs — the stage where Italy were eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia to miss out on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively, in a humiliation for one of Europe’s traditional powers.
“We are the first to know it wasn’t a great game, we wanted to give the coach a better send-off,” Cambiaso said.
“We are professionals, unfortunately these things happen in sport.
“Spalletti is a great coach, has such passion for the sport, and every time a coach is fired, it hurts the players. We feel really sad.”
AAP
