Italy moved within one win of ending their 12-year World Cup absence with a 2-0 qualification playoff semi-final victory over Northern Ireland on Thursday thanks to second-half goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean, Reuters reported. 

The breakthrough arrived in the 56th minute when Tonali pounced on a cleared cross, letting the ball bounce once before firing into the bottom corner from the edge of the area.

Kean effectively ended the contest in the 80th minute, latching onto a Tonali pass and ghosting past his marker before dispatching a low strike into the net, according to Reuters.