Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in their World Cup play-off semi-final last night in Bergamo. Sandro Tonali was the standout player, scoring one and setting up the other as the Azzurri moved closer to their first World Cup since 2014.
Federico Dimarco nearly opened the scoring inside the first minute with a volley that Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pierce Charles did well to keep out. The visitors were fairly solid throughout the first half and went in at the break with the scores level.
Italy finally broke through about 55 minutes in, when Tonali picked up a cleared header and drilled it into the net. Moise Kean then wrapped things up with ten minutes to go, controlling a looping cross from Tonali and finishing smartly for his 12th international goal.
Italy will now face Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday’s final, with a place at this summer’s World Cup in North America up for grabs. For Northern Ireland, it’s another disappointment as they haven’t been to a World Cup since 1986, and that wait will go on for at least another four years.
