ITully finally won a match in the World Cup playoffs. The four-time champion needs one more win to avoid qualifying for a third consecutive time.
The Azzurri defeated Northern Ireland 2-0 in the European semi-final on Thursday.
At home in Bergamo, Italy broke the deadlock early in the second half with a half-volley from Sandro Tonali, setting the stage for another goal from Moise Kean.
Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said, “After we took the lead, I felt refreshed.” “We performed well. This should boost our confidence heading into Tuesday. … We have to win. There is no other choice.”
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Turkey, Kosovo, Denmark and the Czech Republic have also advanced to the play-off final, scheduled for Tuesday.
Italy will next visit Bosnia and Herzegovina, needing another win to qualify for the next tournament in North America and avoid going at least 16 years without playing at soccer’s biggest event.
Bosnia defeated Wales and the Czech Republic defeated Ireland on penalties.
Other finals include: Sweden vs. Poland. Türkiye vs. Kosovo. And Denmark vs. Czech Republic.
Italy lost to Sweden in the 2018 World Cup playoffs without winning two games, and in 2022 they lost to North Macedonia in the semifinals.
Italy’s World Cup struggles date back to 2010 and 2014, when they failed to advance through their group in both tournaments.
The Azzurri’s last World Cup final was in 2006, when they defeated France on penalties to win the title.
Italy had seven shots on goal, while Northern Ireland had none.
The second goal was scored by Tonali’s cross-field pass to Keane, who controlled it well and scored.
“We didn’t have a lot of quality moments, but we were able to make the most of them,” Tonali said. “We focused on not giving away their strengths and focused on set pieces, so if we do that, we are unlikely to concede against a team like this.
Tonali said of Gattuso, who replaced the sacked manager Luciano Spalletti in June: “We have been in a positive mood since he arrived. We have to keep going. We have no choice but to win.”
Gokeres scores 3 goals for Sweden
Viktor Gökeres scored a hat-trick to lead Sweden to a 3-1 victory over Ukraine despite not scoring for his country since 2024. Until Thursday, a disastrous qualifying group campaign had left Gokeres scoreless and Sweden winless.
The match was played in Spain, as Ukraine has not hosted any international matches since the Russian invasion in 2022.
Sweden won 2-1 against Albania thanks to a decisive header from 37-year-old Robert Lewandowski, and will take on Poland with the Barcelona striker looking to qualify for his third World Cup.
Albania took the lead with a goal from Alber Hoxha just before half-time after a defensive failure by Poland. Lewandowski’s header off a corner kick brought his team back into the game, and Piotr Zielinski’s goal put Poland ahead.
Kosovo bounced back from two goals down to beat Slovakia 4-3, one game away from their first World Cup. This will set up a playoff against Türkiye for a spot in the World Cup.
Gustav Isaksen scored two goals in two minutes as Denmark beat North Macedonia 4-0.
Romania, led by Lucescu, was defeated.
Turkey defeated Romania 1-0 in the opening game and will face either Slovakia or Kosovo for their first World Cup berth since third place in 2002.
Turkey took the lead just after the break with Ferdi Kadioglu in front of goal. Arda Greer is a 21-year-old winger from Real Madrid who could be one of the young players to watch at the World Cup, with his long, accurate passes.
The Turkish national team, led by Vincenzo Montella, reached the quarter-finals of the 2024 European Championship.
Romania’s defeat means 80-year-old Mircea Lucescu will not get the chance to manage his first World Cup. Lucescu captained Romania at the 1970 World Cup. He previously led the Turkish national team.
In Istanbul, Romania’s Nicolae Stanciu hit the post in the second half.
Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu said: “We knew it was going to be a tough game. Lucescu knows us well and we have prepared accordingly.” “In the first half, we could have made a better run at the back. In the second half, Ferdy put the ball in from the back and scored. … From then on it was ours.”
