Italy vs. Northern Ireland: two precedents alarm the Azzurri

The history between Italy and Northern Ireland counts eleven official encounters, but some weigh more than others. The most painful one undoubtedly remains that of January 15, 1958, remembered as the Belfast rout. The Azzurri, favored for qualification, fell 2-1 and were incredibly excluded from the World Cup in Sweden. A wound that still finds its way into fans’ stories today.

Well different was the mood on March 25, 2021, when Roberto Mancini’s Italy opened the path to Qatar 2022 with a convincing 2-0 win in Parma signed by Berardi and Immobile. It was a limpid victory that seemed to prelude a serene qualification.

Then came Belfast again. The 0-0 draw in November 2021 remains one of the most bitter pages of recent soccer: that match prevented the Azzurri from finishing the round in first place and forced them into the playoffs, where the world run would later come to a halt. It was a heavy draw not only for the result, but for the attitude of a team that appeared fragile at the decisive moment.

Looking at the record, Italy has often had the better of things, however. In the early 1960s came a 1-0 win in Rome and a 3-2 victory in a friendly, results that confirmed the technical superiority of the Azzurri. Even in more recent years the tradition has remained favorable: from 1997 to 2009 came four consecutive victories, all without conceding a goal. The last victory was the 2-0 win in Parma in March 2021, while the last official meeting was the aforementioned 0-0 in November of the same year.