Italy coach Giampiero Ventura was delighted with victory over Israel in their World Cup qualifier.

Giorgio Chiellini was handed a red card after 54 minutes in Haifa, but the visitors still enjoyed a 3-1 win.

“If we are convinced that we are a team in all arenas, we must show courage always," the Coach told Rai Sport.

“Clearly being down to 10 men in a World Cup qualifier is difficult. We had a 10-minute black-out after Chiellini's dismissal, but that was about it.

“I won't say our performance was perfect, as we conceded that goal similar to the one we let in against France.

“We worked as a team, suffered as a team and won as a team. People said Verratti couldn't play in that role, but he proved himself a player of great value. He was out for a long time due to injury and proved how important he is to this team.

“I hope in a month against Spain that we'll be in better shape physically and can therefore play better than tonight."