03/26/26 02:00:00
Printable Page
03/26 13:59 CDT Italy hosts Northern Ireland in World Cup playoffs aiming to
avoid third straight failure
Italy hosts Northern Ireland in World Cup playoffs aiming to avoid third
straight failure
By ANDREW DAMPF
AP Sports Writer
Four-time champion Italy hosts Northern Ireland in the standout semifinal of
the World Cup playoffs in Europe on Thursday.
The Azzurri are under pressure to avoid failing to qualify for soccer's biggest
event for a third consecutive time after being eliminated by Sweden in 2017 and
North Macedonia in 2022.
In all, 16 teams are competing for four spots at the World Cup in North America.
Eight one-off semifinals are followed by four finals next week. The winners of
the finals secure qualification.
Path A: Italy vs. Northern Ireland, Wales vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Path B: Ukraine vs. Sweden, Poland vs. Albania.
Path C: Turkey vs. Romania, Slovakia vs. Kosovo.
Path D: Denmark vs. North Macedonia, Czech Republic vs. Ireland
Lucescu's Romania eliminated
In an early match, Turkey beat Romania 1-0 and will face either Slovakia or
Kosovo for a spot at its first World Cup since a third-place run in 2002.
Turkey took the lead shortly after the break when Ferdi Kadioglu was set up in
front of the goal with a long, accurate pass from Arda Guler, a 21-year-old
winger for Real Madrid who could become one of the World Cup's younger
standouts.
Vincenzo Montella's Turkey squad reached the quarterfinals of the 2024 European
Championship.
Romania's elimination means that 80-year-old Mircea Lucescu won't get a chance
to coach at the World Cup for the first time. Lucescu captained Romania at the
1970 World Cup.
Nicolae Stanciu hit the post for Romania in the second half.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
|
