Italy got their 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign off to a winning start after beating Israel 1-3 in Haifa tonight. 

Graziano Pelle made it two goals in two games under new Azzurri coach Giampiero Ventura, putting the Italians in the lead in the 14th minute. 

Antonio Candreva then got a second in the 31st minute, before Tal Ben Haim scored a wonderful goal for the hosts in the 35th. 

Already responsible for giving the ball away in the build-up to Israel's goal, defender Giorgio Chiellini added to Italy's woes by getting a second yellow card in the 55th minute, leaving his team with 10 men. 

But despite the one-man advantage, Israel were unable to get back into the game and Ciro Immobile made it three for Ventura's men in the 83rd minute. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.