Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland

MATCH INFO
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Italy 2-0 Northern Ireland
Date: March 26, 2026
Competition: 2026 World Cup Qualifier - UEFA Playoff Semifinal (Path A)
Venue: New Balance Arena, Bergamo, Italy

hey steemit
italy beat northern ireland 2-0 in bergamo. second half goals from tonali and kean. azzurri one win away from world cup 2026.

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Goals

minute 56 tonali half volley. 1-0 italy. capitalized on poor clearance from isaac price. clinical finish.
minute 80 kean left foot low strike. 2-0. tonali assist. kean cut inside mcconville and beat the keeper off the post.

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Pressure on Italy

italy missed 2018 and 2022 world cups. tonight was do or die basically. first half was nervous, northern ireland defended well and frustrated the azzurri. gattuso had strong words at halftime clearly worked. northern ireland had chances too. hume long range shot, galbraith burst forward. but no goal for them.

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Quick Take

tonali man of the match. goal and assist. newcastle man showed up big tonight.
kean was a constant threat whole game. bicycle kick went wide but the real goal was better.
italy now face bosnia and herzegovina in the final tuesday. bosnia beat wales on penalties 4-2.
gattuso said it best after the game. "we have to win. we have no other choice."
one more game for the azzurri. world cup or bust.