When it comes to Italian participation at the World Cup, the four-time champions have been in the wilderness for the past decade. Not since their qualification in 2014 have the Azzurri been part of football’s biggest party but after events on Thursday night, that could be set to change.

No qualification for either the 2018 or 2022 editions of the tournament, no automatic qualification in 2026 after finishing second in their group to Norway. Instead a four-team play-off process offering Gennaro Gattuso’s men a potential backdoor entry to North America.

A semi-final with Northern Ireland on Thursday, win that and either Wales or Bosnia awaits in the last chance saloon the following Tuesday. Their opponents framed as the outsiders in this clash, outsiders have caught out the Italians in the past.

The Green and White Army, travelling to Bergamo in a bid to earn a first World Cup finals invite in 40 years, could their present-day squad mimic the likes of Norman Whiteside and Jimmy Quinn in Mexico more than a generation ago?

If they were to do so, Michael O’Neill’s men were going to have to keep things tight at the back. A principle which has largely served as the bedrock of Northern Ireland’s international setup over the years and was certainly the case in the first half.

The longer the Italians could be held, the more frustrated they would become. That was the game plan for the visitors, and at the interval, with the scores still level at 0-0, there were plenty of reasons for Northern Ireland to be optimistic.

However, that optimism would have shrunk not long after the break. Italian frustration was not yet evident as they built another attack, and with the ball eventually landing to Sandro Tonali on the edge of the box, the Newcastle midfielder expertly slammed home to open the scoring.

The pressure of more qualification failures lifted from the shoulders of the hosts; the pressure of now trying to find parity in the game was placed on their Northern Irish counterparts. Although the visitors always had a chance with a clean sheet, the same could not be said in the hunt for a goal.

At this stage, Northern Ireland had to abandon their game plan to cause Italy problems. The only problem with doing that is that it leaves you further exposed, and with Italy sensing this, they would all but ensure progress with just 10 minutes remaining.

The visitors pressing forward, ideal territory for Moise Kean to exploit the extra space opening up, and with his effort clipping the inside of the post before going in, Italy’s effort was rewarded with playoff progress.

A win in Bergamo and now Bosnia await after their dramatic playoff against Wales in Cardiff. Both sides are now just potentially 90 minutes away from World Cup qualification. Can the Italians end their 12-year drought on Tuesday?