On October 11, 2025, Italy secured a dominant 3-1 victory over Estonia in Tallinn, extending their winning streak in World Cup qualifying. This triumph not only kept the pressure on Norway, who lead the group, but also saw Italy leap three points clear of Israel, with a game in hand. Moise Kean, in fine form, opened the scoring with his fourth goal in qualifying, followed by Mateo Retegui's double strike. Despite Italy's early dominance, Estonia's Rauno Sappinen managed to find the back of the net, thanks to a blunder from Italy's Gianluigi Donnarumma. The match saw Italy's threat from the outset, with goalkeeper Karl Hein making his first save to deny Giacomo Raspadori in the fourth minute. Kean's brilliance less than a minute later saw him weave through the Estonian defense, executing a series of stepovers before slotting the ball into the far corner. Italy's dominance continued, with Marten Kuusk's foul inside the area leading to a penalty. Retegui's attempt was saved by Hein, who guessed correctly and palmed the ball onto the post, keeping the score at 1-1. Seven minutes before halftime, Italy's Riccardo Orsolini and Retegui combined for a goal, with Orsolini's cross finding Retegui's head, resulting in a high shot into the net. Italy had a chance to extend their lead just before halftime, but Hein's save denied Pio Esposito's header. Estonia's first shot came in the 50th minute, with Vlasiy Sinyavskiy's strike going high and wide. Italy's Nicolò Barella and Orsolini's combination failed to find the target. The third goal came in the 74th minute, with Leonardo Spinazzola's cross to Pio Esposito, who guided it home. However, Donnarumma's error allowed Sappinen to score a consolation goal for Estonia a few minutes later, sparking a late surge from the home team.
