ROME: Italy will face Bosnia and Herzegovina for a place at the 2026 World Cup after beating Northern Ireland 2-0 on Thursday, as Wales and the Republic of Ireland suffered agonising penalty shootout defeats in their qualifying play-off semi-finals.
Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean struck second-half goals in Bergamo to keep four-time World Cup winners Italy on track to end a 12-year absence from the tournament.
Italy missed the last two editions in Russia and Qatar but Tonali’s powerful drive and an excellent finish from Kean nudged Gennaro Gattuso’s team a step closer to a return to international football’s biggest stage.
