Overview
- Mateo Retegui scored twice and Gianluca Mancini added a stoppage-time header in Udine, with Gianluigi Donnarumma making key saves in a 3-0 victory.
- Gennaro Gattuso’s start stands at four wins with 16 goals scored, as he vows to “go and live far away” if Italy fail to reach the World Cup.
- Norway remain group leaders with a superior goal difference, leaving Italy strongly positioned for the play-offs rather than automatic qualification.
- FIGC president Gabriele Gravina called moving Serie A fixtures “far-fetched” but is pushing for February training get-togethers to aid play-off readiness.
- The play-off draw is Nov. 21, with single-leg semifinals and finals scheduled in March 2026; the Udine match featured tight security and protests with 15 arrests.