Reaching the World Cup playoff final
©IMAGO
After Italy’s arduous opening victory in the qualifying playoffs for the World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico, the four-time world champions are relieved. “We have seen a bit of a monster this week if you think back to what has happened to Italy in the last few years,” said midfielder Sandro Tonali after the 2-0 (0-0) win against Northern Ireland. Thanks to the success, Italy moved into the playoff final, which will take place in Bosnia on Tuesday.
The Italians had to watch the World Cup in both 2018 and 2022 because they failed in the qualifying playoffs. They also initially had a hard time against the Northern Irish. “We were nervous and scared,” admitted Tonali. The Newcastle United professional made it 1-0 (56th minute), Fiorentina striker Moise Kean (80th) let the team and the spectators breathe a sigh of relief with the second goal. “But we have freed ourselves from everything,” emphasized Tonali.
The pressure on the Azzurri was huge. On match day, for example, the Gazzetta dello Sport printed photos of teenage fans and children on its front page to show that they had never seen Italy at a World Cup. “We felt this enormous responsibility towards the children,” admitted Juventus veteran Manuel Locatelli. Striker Kean said: “After my goal I felt the whole country on my shoulders.”
After celebrating the success, all the protagonists quickly warned that they still had a difficult match ahead of them against the Bosnians led by old master Edin Dzeko. “We will have to go through the fire for at least 90 minutes,” stated Tonali. National coach Gennaro Gattuso hopes: “The pressure we feel is also felt by the others.” After the debacles in 2018 against Sweden and in 2022 against North Macedonia, the happy ending is now to follow in Zenica in Bosnia.
