Mateo Retegui's penalty four minutes from half-time, a brace from captain Giovanni di Lorenzo and Davide Frattesi's 72nd-minute strike moved Italy to 10 points from four unbeaten matches.
The Azzurri are six points ahead of third-placed Belgium, who lost 2-1 to France, and a draw against either the Red Devils or the French in November will ensure qualification for the quarter-finals.
Luciano Spalletti's swashbuckling Italy are a different side to the team who put in a dismal title defence at the European Championship this past summer.
Another strong performance in which they missed a host of chances to win by an even wider margin was marred by Guglielmo Vicario allowing Mohammad Abu Fani's corner straight past him in the 66th minute.
"We didn't take anywhere near full advantage of what we created.
Esta historia es de la edición October 16, 2024 de The Straits Times.
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