Israel got themselves back into the match in the 35th when forward Tal Ben Chaim lofted a ball over goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who was caught off his line, and the momentum shifted. Italy coach Giampiero Ventura was delighted with the win from his first qualifying fixture in charge following a 3-1 defeat by France in a friendly last week. Italy looked to be cruising as the Israelis, rank outsiders even at home in front of a 29,300 crowd at Haifa's Sammy Ofer Stadium, were dominated by their more accomplished opponents. The visitors doubled their lead with Candreva's spot kick after defender Nir Bitton brought down Marco Verratti. Israel coach Elisha Levy was encouraged by the performance despite the defeat in his first competitive match in charge.

Source: bd News24 September 05, 2016 21:33 UTC