SOCCER: Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0 to close in on World Cup spot

BERGAMO, Italy — Italy moved within one win of returning to the World Cup after a 12-year absence, defeating Northern Ireland 2-0 in the UEFA qualification playoff semi-final on Thursday. Second-half goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean sealed the victory.

The breakthrough came in the 56th minute when Tonali capitalized on a cleared cross, letting the ball bounce once before firing a precise shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Kean effectively ended the contest in the 80th minute. He received a pass from Tonali, slipped past his marker, and fired a low shot into the net.

"I felt the whole country was on my shoulders," Kean told Sky Sports. "There is one more game to go. We need one more step, but we are feeling positive and need to keep going."

The four-time world champions will face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday for a place at the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico this June and July.

Under Pressure

Pressure was high on Gennaro Gattuso’s side after missing the last two World Cups. The Italian coach moved the match from Milan’s San Siro to Atalanta’s Stadium, citing concerns over the "caustic" atmosphere of a larger venue.

“There was some tension at the start of the second half, but after taking the lead, we really started to feel free of pressure with our mentality,” Tonali said.

Italy started at a frantic pace, determined to avoid past playoff disappointments, including a 1-0 aggregate loss to Sweden in 2017 and a shock semi-final defeat to North Macedonia in 2022. Federico Dimarco tested Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pierce Charles with an early low volley, and Kean’s follow-up from the rebound drifted wide.

Despite dominating the first half, the hosts failed to score before the break. Kean dragged a shot wide, and Mateo Retegui’s close-range effort was saved, keeping the match goalless at halftime.

After Tonali’s opener, Italy continued to press. Kean almost doubled the lead with an acrobatic overhead kick from a Nicolo Barella cross, narrowly missing before scoring moments later.

Northern Ireland mounted a late push, but Italy held firm to end their opponent’s hopes of reaching their first World Cup since 1986.

Gattuso admitted the game was physically and mentally demanding. “It’s difficult. We knew this game was tough, so now we must try to recharge the batteries,” he told Rai Sport. “It was a struggle, this was not easy. They surprised us with vertical passes; we could’ve done better.”

The coach also praised the home fans. “We thank the fans of Bergamo once again. I heard very few jeers, and we went into the locker room at halftime to applause. I thank the people here, and now we go together into this final.” -Reporting by Tommy Lund in GdanskEditing by Christian Radnedge and Andrew Cawthorne/Reuters