DEBRECEN, Hungary (AP) — Sandro Tonali scored a stoppage-time winner as Italy won a chaotic nine-goal thriller against Israel 5-4 and dodged another big setback in its bid to qualify for the 2026 World Cup on Monday.
A 3-0 loss to Norway in June left Italy's qualification campaign in trouble. More difficulties were in store when Israel twice took the lead in a game held in neutral Hungary.
Moise Kean found space among the Israeli defense to score each side of halftime, leveling the score on both occasions. Matteo Politano finally gave Italy the lead in the 59th minute off a backheeled flick assist from Mateo Retegui, and Giacomo Raspadori scored a fourth.
The game seemed over, but Israel scored twice in two minutes to level the score at 4-4, Dor Peretz scoring his second of the game.
Tonali then hit a speculative curling shot in the first minute of stoppage time which seemed unthreatening but found its way through a crowd of players and into the net.
Italian errors were a major topic, with two own goals and some glaring mistakes from new Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The game was played less than a month after the Italian Soccer Coaches’ Association said it wrote a formal letter calling for Israel to be suspended over the war in Gaza. Some in the largely empty stadium seemed to whistle during the Israeli anthem.
Israel’s players wore black armbands for the game after Palestinian attackers opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem on Monday. Six people were killed and another 12 were wounded in the attack, according to Israeli officials.
Italy moves ahead of Israel for second place in Europe Group I. Norway stayed top with four wins from its four games and faces last-placed Moldova on Tuesday.
Sweden's qualifying bid is already struggling after a 2-0 loss to Kosovo left the Swedes with one point from their first two games. Kosovo scored both goals on lightning-fast counterattacks which began in its own penalty area.
Switzerland stayed top of Group B after beating Slovenia 3-0 with two of its goals coming from headers at corners.
Denmark and Scotland were level on four points at the top of Group C after the Danes beat Greece 3-0 and Scotland won against Belarus 2-0.
Croatia eased past Montenegro 4-0 to top Group L after Montenegro's Andrija Bulatovic was sent off for two bookings in the space of eight minutes before halftime.
Croatia was level on points with the second-placed Czech Republic but has played one less game. The Faroe Islands beat Gibraltar 1-0.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Danish players celebrate after a World Cup qualifying soccer match between Greece and Denmark at Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Piraeus port, near Athens, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Israel's Manor Solomon, centre, in action against Italy's Matteo Politano, left, and Italy's Nicolo Barella during a Group I, World Cup qualifier soccer match between Israel and Italy at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
Italy's Mateo Retegui kicks the ball ahead of Israel's Raz Shlomo during a Group I, World Cup qualifier soccer match between Israel and Italy at the Nagyerdei Stadium in Debrecen, Hungary, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos)
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.
The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the tanker, named Veronica, early Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media. The ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” she said.
U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”
Several U.S. government social media accounts posted brief videos that appeared to show various parts of the ship’s capture. Black-and-white footage showed at least four helicopters approaching the ship before hovering over the deck while armed troops dropped down by rope. At least nine people could be seen on the deck of the ship.
The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.
The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, it was partially filled with crude.
The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.
According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department for moving cargoes of illicit Russian oil.
As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”
Speaking to reporters at the White House later Thursday, Noem declined to say how many sanctioned oil tankers the U.S. is tracking or whether the government is keeping tabs on freighters beyond the Caribbean Sea.
“I can’t speak to the specifics of the operation, although we are watching the entire shadow fleet and how they’re moving,” she told reporters.
However, other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear that they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.
Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.
This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro’s capture and the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, not the Galileo.
Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)
