UDINE, Italy: The World Cup qualifier between Italy and Israel took place amid a heavy police presence that included snipers on the stadium roof.
Italy won 3-0 Tuesday in a game that soccer and security authorities had placed in the highest risk category despite a breakthrough ceasefire deal that has paused two years of war in Gaza.
There were skirmishes between protesters and police nearby on the streets of Udine at a pro-Palestinian demonstration before the match, but no serious disruptions at the venue during the game. Although, stadium staff had to act quickly to prevent some fans from running onto the field carrying Palestinian flags.
“Today wasn’t easy for us,” Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said. “I want to thank the police who have done an incredible job in these days.”
The Israel team bus was escorted to the stadium by 13 police vehicles, including some from the special forces, and several motorbikes.
The sound of helicopters over the city had filled the air from early morning, with drones spotted in the sky and snipers also seen on the roof of the Israel team’s hotel.
In the city center, around 10,000 people attended a pro-Palestinian march which was incident free for nearly three hours before arriving at its final stop. Then about 50 people — with their faces covered — started clashing with police, who used water cannons and tear gas to try and disperse them.
The group was apparently trying to get past the police cordons to head toward the stadium, which is on the outskirts of the city. They threw metal barriers and other objects at riot police, fired flares and set fire to garbage cans.
Public broadcaster RAI said one of its journalists was taken to a hospital after being hit in the face by a rock.
Many shops and restaurants decided not to open for business Tuesday and there were strict rules for those that did — including the removal of any outdoor furniture or other objects that could potentially be used as weapons.
Italy also played Israel a year ago in Udine, which was chosen because of its location in north-east Italy, near the Slovenian border, and the ease of isolating the stadium, where road blocks were set up all around.
The area was declared a “red zone,” and supporters were strongly advised to arrive early because of rigorous security checks, with everyone attending having to pass through metal detectors.
Fewer than 10,000 tickets were sold for the qualifier at the 25,000-seat Stadio Friuli, and there appeared to be fewer people inside the stadium than at the demonstration.
The staging of the game was thrown into doubt last month when UEFA considered suspending Israel over the war and Udine Mayor Alberto Felice De Toni called for the game to be postponed.
“Honestly it wasn’t easy … for many days we were always there thinking that maybe there was the possibility of not playing the match,” Gattuso said. “We came, we prepared for it with an environment that we knew was not a festive environment and we felt that.”
There were boos from some fans when the Israeli anthem was played but many other people in the stadium tried to drown that out with loud applause.
Mateo Retegui converted a penalty on the stroke of halftime and doubled his tally with a curled strike into the top right corner in the 74th minute. Gianluca Mancini headed in a third goal for Italy in stoppage time.
Italy secured at least a playoff spot as it attempts to avoid missing a third straight World Cup.
The Azzurri are second in their group, three points behind Norway and six ahead of Israel, which has played one game more than Italy.
Only the group winner advances directly to next year’s tournament being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The second-place finisher progresses to a playoff — the stage where four-time champion Italy was eliminated during qualifying for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Snipers on stadium roof amid heavy security for Italy’s win over Israel in World Cup qualifying
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Snipers on stadium roof amid heavy security for Italy’s win over Israel in World Cup qualifying
- The Israel team bus was escorted to the stadium by 13 police vehicles, including some from the special forces, and several motorbikes
- Public broadcaster RAI said one of its journalists was taken to a hospital after being hit in the face by a rock
Al-Ahli topple Al-Ittihad in Sea Derby as late Al-Hilal rout sees off Al-Najma
- Al-Ahli defeat rivals Al-Ittihad 3-1 in thrilling derby at Al-Inma Stadium
- Al-Hilal struggle against Al-Najma but three goals in final 10 minutes leads them to 4-0 victory
JEDDAH: The Saudi Pro League title race showed no signs of slowing on Friday as Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal played simultaneously in search of staying within touching distance of league leaders Al-Nassr, who play on Saturday.
While Al-Hilal took on Al-Najma, Al-Ahli’s weekend was about more than just three points. Waiting for them at Al-Inma Stadium were city rivals and defending champions Al-Ittihad.
For Al-Ittihad, this fixture was largely about pride. Their title defence has all but come to an end, with 19 points separating them and the summit heading into the Sea Derby.
Yet as shown in their 1-1 draw weeks prior against Al-Hilal while playing with a man down, Al-Ittihad tend to rise to the occasion in the bigger games regardless of their position on the table.
Al-Ahli did take control of proceedings through their high press, but the Tigers responded with confidence and urgency. A difficult season does not mean allowing your archrivals to take three points with ease, after all.
Matthias Jaissle, however, has converted Al-Ahli into one of the league’s most cohesive sides over the past three years. Some would even argue that despite never holding first place this season, they have indeed been the best team in the league.
That showed in the 23rd minute. Galeno was released into the space behind Muhannad Al-Shanqiti before delivering a low cross to Ivan Toney, who continued his prolific campaign with his 24th goal of the season.
Calls for a VAR review followed, as Houssem Aouar was brought down in the box prior to the goal. Referee Nikola Dabanovic ruled there was no infringement, and Al-Ahli led 1-0.
Al-Ittihad emerged after the interval with renewed vigour. Steven Bergwijn calmly held Zakaria Hawsawi on the edge of the box, tempting him into a foul that Dabanovic judged worthy of a penalty.
Fabinho stepped up and powered the ball past Edouard Mendy to equalise for The Tigers in the 51st minute. For a brief moment, there was hope. If Al-Ittihad could derail Al-Ahli’s title push and go on to win the AFC Champions League Elite later this season, this match could yet prove significant.
Those hopes lasted less than 10 minutes. Al-Ahli’s trademark pass into the channel released Galeno once again, and his low cross rolled across the face of goal to Riyad Mahrez.
The Algerian — who had repeatedly troubled the defence with his movement inside — made no mistake this time, restoring the hosts’ lead in the 59th minute.
Al-Ittihad came close on several occasions, but the match rarely felt out of Al-Ahli’s control for long. Their relentless press ultimately sealed the result when substitute Feras Al-Brikan disposessed Predrag Rajkovic and slotted home into an open net in the 84th minute.
Al-Hilal, meanwhile, endured a far more difficult night against bottom-placed Al-Najma. A glance at the scoreline suggests total dominance for Al-Hilal, but the reality was quite different.
Make no mistake, Al-Hilal created several openings, yet repeatedly lacked the decisive final touch. Salem Al-Dawsari’s decision to square the ball to Karim Benzema while through on goal summed up their struggles in front of the net.
It wasn’t until Nasser Al-Haleel received a red card in the 39th minute for pulling down Al-Dawsari as the last defender that Al-Hilal began to shift gears.
Four minutes later, Al-Dawsari made amends for his earlier mistake by setting up Benzema for first goal at Kingdom Arena.
Even with the numerical advantage, Al-Hilal produced one of their least convincing performances of the season. Fortunately for them, Al-Najma offered little attacking threat, registering just one shot across the 90 minutes.
They eventually collapsed in the final 10 minutes, as Benzema, Malcom and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic all scored within a six-minute spell, lifting Al-Hilal’s goal difference to +43 — a vital factor in a tital race where Al-Nassr sit on +46.
The victories move Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal to 62 and 61 points respectively, with Al-Nassr sandwiched between them on 61 ahead of their clash against NEOM.
Elsewhere, Al-Taawoun defeated Al-Fateh 3-2 in a match that saw the visitors mount a late rally but ultimately fall short of completing the comeback. Meanwhile, Greek duo Giorgos Masouras and Kostas Fortounis both found the net as Al-Khaleej secured a 2-1 victory over Al-Hazem.
Saudi Pro League action resumes on Saturday, with four clashes kicking off at 10:00pm. Al-Ettifaq host Al-Shabab, Al-Kholood take on Al-Qadsiah, Al-Okhdood welcome Al-Fayha, and Al-Nassr aim to maintain their spot at the top against NEOM.
