Chances at both end. A shot from Tonali takes a deflection reaches Barella, with the latter having a first-time volley. The ball, however, went just over the bar, with Glazer rooted to his spot.

At the other end, Baribo made some space for himself and had an opportunity but could not test Donnarumma.

A scrappy feel to the second half, and Italy almost shoot themselves in the foot after Tonali barges on the back of Solomon. Israel scream for a penalty, it seems, but Clement Turpin is unmoved. Gattuso needs to calm his team down a notch, with the lack of chances sure let cause more frustration.

The players are out on the pitch, and Israel get the second half going. One change at the break for Italy, bringing on Pio Esposito in place of Raspadori. Can the hosts add to Israel’s misery with a second goal, that will guarantee them a place in the playoffs?

After four additional minutes of football is played, the referee blows his whistle to bring the first half to an end. Italy, who had a number of shots without threatening the goalkeeper, took a late lead through a penalty from Mateo Retegui. Frustration for Israel, who performed brilliantly and had the better of the chances, but at half-time, they trail.

In the final minute of the first half, Italy have a lifeline as Baltaxa caught Retegui in the box, bringing the striker down. The referee immediately pointed to the spot, despite Israel’s protests.

Retegui, having won the penalty, steps up to take it, and makes no mistake. A powerful strike that beat the reach of Glazer, and the hosts – despite being poor in the first half – will certainly take a lead into the break.

Khalaili, who went down after collission with an opponent, receives treatment on the pitch. He is not moving freely, but looks like he will try to run it off.

Meanwhile, Retegui, who hasn’t had a lot of service tonight, is almost fed by Cambiasso. The Argentine-born striker tries to pull the trigger from close range, but a last-ditch tackle from a defender keeps the danger out.

Another long-range effort from Italy, this time coming from Tonali. The midfielder looks up and has a crack, but fails to get any power under the strike, and it is catching practice for Glazer. Seventh shot by the home side, but the Israeli keeper is yet to be tested seriously.

Not for the first time tonight, Italy have looked stretched at the back, and the best chance of the night just fell to Solomon. A terrific counter attack leads to the ball being played to Baribo, who laid it off for Solomon on the right edge of the box. The Villarreal forward has a powerful effort on the goal, but Donnarumma does well to parry the ball behind.

Israel are slowly finding their way back into the game. Khalaili beats Calafiori in the air and finds Gloukh, who has a first-time shot that goes just wide of the right post. Soon after, Raspadori brings down an oppinent and gives away a cheap free kick.

Israel have continued pounding the Israeli goal, and Raspadori is the latest to try his luck. After being played on the edge of the box by Retegui, the midfielder has a strike which goes just wide of the left post. We are yet to see a shot on target in Udine, but the hosts look primed to score soon.

With Israel sitting in their own half and not pressing, Italian players are getting a lot of time on the ball. Retegui had a first-time half-volley that went just wide of the post.

Gattuso, though, does not look happy on the touchlines with the lack of intensity shown by his side in what is a crucial match.

It has been a lively start from both sides. Possession has been more or less equally shared, but Italy look much more comfortable on the ball in the early stages, trying to play short passes and create an opening in the Israeli back line.

Under the spotlight of international political pressure and World Cup qualification on the line, referee Clement Turpin blows his whistle, and the match is underway at Stadio Friulu. Will Italy live up to their tags as one of the group favourites, or will Israel cause one of the biggest upsets? Stay tuned!

On paper, Italy are the stronger side, and it’s their match – and qualification – to lose. However, the Azzurri haven’t had the best of records in the last decade or so, losing out on the last two World Cups after seeing the qualification campaigns come undone. Gennaro Gattuso will hope that his team can vanquish the ghosts of the past and book their place to North America.

Snipers were on the roof of the Israel team hotel in Udine and the Italian city is on maximum alert ahead of the game, Associated Press reported. The sound of helicopters surveilling the city has filled the air since the morning, hours before kick off at Stadio Friuli. The match has been placed in the highest risk category despite a breakthrough ceasefire deal that has paused two years of war in Gaza.

A pro-Palestinian march broke out in the city centre a couple of hours before kickoff and likely attracted around 10,000 people. It was kept away from the stadium which is on the outskirts of the city.

The Italy vs Israel, FIFA World Cup 2026 Europe qualifying match will be live-streamed on the Sony LIV app and website in India. Television broadcasts will take place on the Sony Ten 5 and Sony Ten 5 HD TV channels in the country.

Starting XI: Omri Glazer; Roy Revivo, Matan Baltaxa, Or Blorian, Eli Dasa; Eliel Peretz, Oscar Gloukh, Anan Khalaili; Manor Solomon, Tai Baribo, Dan Briton

Bench: Daniel Peretz (gk), Assaf Tsur (gk), Guy Mizrahi, Denny Gropper, Nikita Stoioanov, Omri Gandelman, Ethane Azoulay, Itamar Noy, Mohammad Abu Fani, Yarden Shua, Dor Turgeman, Stav Torial

Starting XI: Gianluigi Donnarumma; Riccardo Calafiori, Gianluca Mancini, Giovanni Di Lorenzo; Federico Dimarco, Sandro Tonali, Manuel Locatelli, Andrea Cambiasso; Giacomo Raspadori, Nicolo Barella; Mateo Retegui

Bench: Alex Meret (gk), Guglielmo Vicario (gk), Matteo Gabbia, Leonardo Spinazzola, Destiny Udogie, Diego Coppola, Riccardo Orsolini, Bryan Cristante, Davide Frattesi, Roberto Piccoli, Francesco Pio Esposito, Nicolo Cambiaghi

Greetings, football fans! This is the start of our live blog for the Italy vs Israel match, with tempers running high ahead of this crucial and controversial fixture. The hosts can confirm their place in the playoffs with a draw, but Gattuso’s men will hope for all three points.

Kick-off is scheduled for 12:15 AM IST, so stay tuned for pre-match updates and lineups as they are released.