Italy give Spalletti winning send off

Italy gave departing manager Luciano Spalletti a victory as they ground out a 2-0 home win over Moldova in their World Cup qualifier.

Spalletti, 66, announced he was being replaced after a 3-0 defeat to Norway on Friday.

He took charge of one more game and got the win thanks to goals from Giacomo Raspadori and Andrea Cambiaso.

⏱️ 𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐎 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐄

🇮🇹🇲🇩 #ItaliaMoldova 2️⃣-0️⃣41’ #Raspadori; 50’ #Cambiaso#Nazionale #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/VR3dONvmGd

— Nazionale Italiana ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri) June 9, 2025

Italy struggled early on before Raspadori put the hosts ahead five minutes before the break and Cambiaso doubled the lead five minutes after the interval but they failed to build on their two-goal cushion.

‘No alibis’

Spalletti said his players looked tired at the end of a long club season but admitted the buck had to stop with him.

“When someone is the coach of the national team, he cannot have alibis, because he chooses the players,” he said.

“If he sees the players are exhausted, he should seek someone else.

“We certainly are not leaving my successor a sense of enthusiasm, despite the positive response from the fans.

“The coach has to make the difference, the players have to make the difference, and unfortunately I did not make the difference.”

Norway, who won 1-0 in Estonia with Erling Haaland netting the winner, top Group I on 12 points from four games, with Israel on six points after three matches while Italy are third with three points from their two games.