November 14, (THEWILL) — Italy defeated Moldova 2-0 in World Cup qualifying on Wednesday evening, though the late victory does little to alter their prospects of automatic qualification. Gennaro Gattuso’s side remain three points behind Group I leaders, Norway, who earlier thrashed Estonia 4-1 to strengthen their position at the summit.
The Italians face Norway on Sunday in their final group fixture but would require a nine-goal victory to overtake their Scandinavian rivals on goal difference. Failure to claim top spot would send Italy into the play-offs for the third consecutive World Cup qualifying campaign, having failed in their previous two attempts to reach the tournament through that route.
Italy dominated possession in Moldova but struggled to convert their superiority into goals during a frustrating first half. Gianluca Scamacca and Gianluca Mancini both squandered early opportunities, whilst Riccardo Orsolini and Bryan Cristante sent efforts narrowly wide before the interval. The hosts threatened briefly through Virgiliu Postolachi, who failed to test the goalkeeper when presented with a rare opening.
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 88th minute when Mancini atoned for his earlier miss by heading home from Federico Dimarco’s cross. Italy doubled their advantage four minutes later through Francesco Pio Esposito, who met Matteo Politano’s cross with a decisive header after the substitute had created space down the right flank.
The victory offers modest encouragement for Gattuso’s squad ahead of probable play-off fixtures, though Sunday’s meeting with Norway will almost certainly determine which nation progresses automatically to the World Cup finals. Italy’s mathematical qualification hopes remain alive but require an improbable result at home this weekend.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
