The Italian coach after the incredible 5-4 win over Israel that keeps us in the running for first place in the group: “We’re too fragile, but it’s my fault. Our legs weren’t moving, we need to improve and we know it.”

Rino Gattuso was distraught and self-critical at the end of the crazy match against Israel, won 5-4 in extra time after conceding two goals in the final minutes that would have compromised Italy’s path to the 2026 World Cup. “Today was hell. They surprised us a bit at the start, but every time we went forward, we put them in difficulty. Today, our legs weren’t great, but that’s okay, it’s always like that when you play the second game. We’ll take the win, which was crucial. We’re crazy because we conceded some absurd goals.”

fragile —  “We’re too fragile,” continued the coach, “we concede goals too easily. But that’s not a criticism of the players, it’s my problem, which I need to improve with my staff. We have to give credit to the guys who had the strength to react to every blow they took. Even though it wasn’t a great day, they put their hearts into it and wanted to react. This is something we need to continue working on. Let’s enjoy it, it’s been an incredible eight days. Congratulations to the guys, I’ll thank them now, but if we want to do something important, we have to improve.”