Italy v Northern Ireland: World Cup playoff – live

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“Bout ye, Italy?” To which nan only honorable reply is surely: not very well. Because while Italy spell into tonight’s 2026 World Cup qualification semi-final pinch a 100-percent grounds astatine location to Northern Ireland, they person demons, baggage, and demons carrying baggage containing demons.

You see, nan Azzurri are surviving successful ABJECT FEAR OF FAILING TO QUALIFY FOR THE WORLD CUP FINALS FOR THE THIRD SUCCESSIVE TIME, and nan implications of that for nan four-time winners don’t carnivore reasoning about. And while they’re hot favourites to clear this hurdle tonight, they were hot favourites to spot disconnected Sweden successful these play-offs for Russia 2018, and hot favourites astatine home against North Macedonia for Qatar 2022, and look what happened there. So nobody’s taking thing for granted. Oh, and those aforementioned qualification disasters were only nan 2nd and 3rd clip Italy had ever grounded to scope nan World Cup finals. The first, backmost successful 1958? Well that peculiar rustle was dealt by …

… Northern Ireland! Of people it was. Settle down, children, and let maine to plagiarise myself show you a story.

double quotation markThe Italian nationalist squad had a difficult clip of it for rather a while aft nan war. The 1948 Superga crash, which wiped retired Torino, efficaciously did for nan Azzurri too. A depleted squad made their measurement to Brazil for nan 1950 World Cup, but only by boat, understandably fearful of aerial travel. Knackered and unfit coming disconnected nan ship, they almost instantly sewage themselves knocked out. They travelled location by plane.

The 1954 tourney successful Switzerland ended abruptly pinch a 4-1 trouncing astatine nan hands of nan hosts. Chile successful 1962 was each astir nan shame of Santiago, though that was thing connected nan humiliation North Korea heaped connected them successful 1966. After which nan squad won Euro 68 and made it to nan last of nan 1970 World Cup. All better, then, but by lord those 2 decades were rather nan haul.

Italy only erstwhile grounded to suffice for nan World Cup during that 20-year nadir. (They’d made it to each nan others pinch nan objection of nan very first 1 successful 1930, a jamboree they didn’t fuss to attend, successful a fresh of pique astatine being looked complete for hosting duties successful favour of Uruguay.) That blemish, nan first connected their qualification record, came successful nan 1958 bid erstwhile their broadside – containing Uruguay’s 1950 stars Juan Alberto Schiaffino and Alcides Ghiggia – were bundled retired of nan title by a formidable Northern Ireland squad not short of a fewer decently sized names itself successful Danny Blanchflower, Harry Gregg and Peter McParland.

The mode of Italy’s exit was thing short of farcical. The teams were owed to play nan decisive qualifier astatine Windsor Park successful early December 1957. A triumph for nan Irish would nonstop them through; Italy needed a tie to put them successful a position wherever a location triumph successful their last crippled complete a dismal Portugal would occurrence them to nan finals successful Sweden instead. But referee Istvan Zsolt had been held up en way from Hungary to Belfast by fog successful London, and only a section charismatic could beryllium recovered to switch him. Five minutes earlier kick-off, it was announced that nan crippled would only beryllium a friendly, causing overmuch bristling successful nan crowd who, according to nan Guardian, seemed “unlikely to hide what they considered to beryllium nan intractability of nan Italians complete lucifer arrangements and near nary uncertainty that they felt they should person agreed to a British referee”. Aye, correct you are.

And successful fairness, nan Italians had a point. Their keeper Ottavio Bugatti was knocked from pillar to station by nan likes of McParland, who had shape for this benignant of nonsense, arsenic those who callback nan 1957 FA Cup last would testify. In nan last infinitesimal of a 2-2 draw, Guiseppe Chiapella leapt astatine McParland aft 1 complaint excessively many, and was sent off. Not that nan Italians had been saints themselves, mind, Chiapella, Schiaffino and Rino Ferrario each taking turns to propulsion hands successful nan wished style. At nan last whistle, thousands of spectators flooded nan section of play pinch a position to raising Cain. Ferrario was sent crashing to nan level and had to beryllium carted backmost to nan dressing room unconscious.

As it transpired, that consequence would person been capable for nan Italians, who went connected to hit Portugal 3-0 earlier Christmas. But decisions are decisions, and they were forced to spell again. In nan New Year, nan rescheduled qualifier successful Belfast was played, and nan Irish stormed into a two-goal lead by half-time, Jimmy McIlroy and Wilbur Cush pinch nan goals. Dino Da Costa bundled 1 backmost for Italy soon aft nan break, but nan ghig was up for Italy erstwhile Ghiggia, of each folk, was sent disconnected pinch 25 minutes to spell for a beingness disagreement pinch Alf McMichael. Ireland were through, Italy were out, and what an extremity to a World Cup profession for mediocre Ghiggia, nan man who scored the astir melodramatic and far-reaching extremity nan tourney has ever seen.

But history is 1 thing, and nan coming thing other entirely. This should beryllium a location banker. Having said that, Italy were thrashed 4-1 astatine location by Norway successful their erstwhile match, while Northern Ireland are coming disconnected nan backmost of a 1-0 triumph complete Luxembourg, each of which proves (a) Erling Haaland is 1 heck of a player, (b) you tin only hit who are put successful beforehand of you, and (c) a triumph for nan Green and White Army would beryllium seismic. Kick-off is astatine 7.45pm GMT. It’s on!

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