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Italy seal 2-0 win over Northern Ireland in WC qualification playoff semis | FIFA World Cup 2022

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Italy finally won a match in the World Cup playoffs. Now the four-time champion needs to win one more to avoid failing to qualify for a third straight time. The Azzurri beat Northern Ireland 2-0 in the European semifinals on Thursday.


Sandro Tonali broke the deadlock with a half-volley early in the second half for Italy at home in Bergamo and then set up another goal for Moise Kean.


“After taking the lead, we cleared our minds,” Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso said. “We put in a good performance. This should be a confidence boost for Tuesday. We have to win. We have no other choice.” 
Also advancing to the playoff finals scheduled for Tuesday were Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Turkey, Kosovo, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

 

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Italy next visits Bosnia and Herzegovina needing another victory to reach the upcoming tournament in North America and avoid going at least 16 years without even playing a match at soccer’s biggest event.


Bosnia beat Wales, and the Czech Republic beat Ireland in penalty shootouts.


The other finals matchups are: Sweden vs. Poland; Turkey vs. Kosovo; and Denmark vs. the Czech Republic.


Italy was eliminated by Sweden over two winless legs in the playoffs for the 2018 World Cup then was stunned by North Macedonia in the semifinal round in 2022.

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Italy’s World Cup struggles go back all the way to 2010 and 2014, having failed to advance from its group on both occasions.


The Azzurri’s last World Cup knockout match was when they won the title in 2006 by beating France in a penalty shootout.


Italy produced seven shots on goal while Northern Ireland had none.


For the second goal, Tonali’s cross-field pass set up Kean, who made an expert control and finish.

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“We didn’t have many moments of quality, but we did well to make the most of them when we did,” Tonali said. “We focused on not giving them their strengths and were concentrated on the set plays, so when we do that, it’s unlikely we’ll concede to this kind of team.


“We’ve been feeling positive since the coach arrived, we’ve got to continue like this, there’s no other option but to win,” Tonali said of Gattuso, who replaced the fired Luciano Spalletti in June.


Gyokeres scores three for Sweden


Viktor Gyokeres hit a hat trick to send Sweden past Ukraine 3-1 despite not having scored for his country since 2024. Until Thursday, Gyokeres was scoreless and Sweden winless in a miserable qualifying group campaign.


The game was played in Spain because Ukraine hasn’t hosted international games since the Russian invasion of 2022.

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“Viktor Gyokeres made the difference tonight,” Ukraine coach Serhiy Rebrov said. “He showed his quality and proved he’s one of the best strikers in Europe.” 
Sweden will face Poland after 37-year-old Robert Lewandowski scored a crucial header in a 2-1 win over Albania, keeping alive the Barcelona striker’s bid to reach a third World Cup.


Albania took the lead through Arber Hoxha just before halftime after a defensive blunder by Poland. Lewandowski’s header at a corner got his team back into the game before Piotr Zielinski’s goal put Poland in front.


Kosovo is a game away from its first-ever World Cup after twice recovering from a goal down to upset Slovakia 4-3. That sets up a playoff with Turkey for a World Cup spot.


Gustav Isaksen scored twice in two minutes in a Denmark’s 4-0 win over North Macedonia.

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Bosnia and Czechs win penalty shootouts


Bosnia advanced after 40-year-old Edin Dzeko leveled the score and 18-year-old Kerim Alajbegovic converted the winning spot-kick in a 4-2 penalty shootout win over Wales following a 1-1 draw.


The Czech Republic awaits next for Denmark after beating Ireland 4-3 on penalties. Ireland gave up an early 2-0 lead in the game, and was also leading the shootout before failing to convert either of its last two attempts.


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.

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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. He previously coached Turkey.


Nicolae Stanciu hit the post for Romania in the second half in Istanbul.


“We knew it would be a tough match. Lucescu knows us well and prepared accordingly,” Turkey captain Hakan Calhanoglu said. “In the first half, we could have made better runs in behind. In the second half, Ferdi scored with a ball in behind. … From then, it was ours.

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Trump says he feels ‘so badly’ after Tiger Woods’ rollover crash in Florida

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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

President Donald Trump addressed the daytime rollover crash involving Tiger Woods Friday that resulted in the 15-time major winner being arrested on a DUI charge after authorities suspected he was driving impaired. 

Speaking to reporters after arriving in Miami, the president spoke briefly about Woods. He said he was only aware of the accident at the time he made his remarks. 

Tiger Woods flipped car accident

Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026.  (Jason Oteri/AP)

“I feel so badly. He’s got some difficulty,” Trump said. “There was an accident, and that’s all I know. Very close friend of mine. He’s an amazing person, an amazing man, but some difficulty.”

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Woods is in a relationship with the president’s former daughter-in-law, Vanessa Trump.

He competed in the TGL championship earlier this week, where Vanessa Trump and her daughter, Kai Trump, were spotted in the stands. It was Woods’ return to competitive golf after he ruptured his Achilles last year ahead of the Masters.

Trump previously spoke out about the pair’s relationship, saying he gave Woods his blessing when they first spoke about it. 

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Tiger Woods and Donald Trump

President Donald Trump presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods during an event at the White House in the Rose Garden.  (Scott Taetsch/USA Today Sports)

“He told me about it, and I said, ‘Tiger, that’s good, that’s good. I’m very happy for both.’ But they just let them both be happy. Let them both be happy. They’re both great,” Trump said in March 2025. 

TIGER WOODS ARRESTED ON DUI CHARGE IN FLORIDA AFTER ROLLOVER CRASH: ‘THIS COULD’VE BEEN A LOT WORSE’

Woods was charged with DUI, property damage and refusal to submit to a test after law enforcement said his vehicle collided with another vehicle Friday afternoon while he was driving impaired.

“DUI investigators came to the scene here, and Mr. Woods did exemplify signs of impairment. They did several tests on him. Of course, he did explain the injuries and the surgeries that he had. We did take that into account, but they did do some in-depth roadside tests,” Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said during a news conference Friday.

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Tiger Woods rollover crash

This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff’s Office shows skid marks near the overturned vehicle in a rollover crash involving Tiger Woods in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026.  (Martin County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

“We really weren’t suspicious of alcohol being involved in this case, and that proved to be true at the jail. … But when it came time for us to ask for a urinalysis test, he refused. And, so, he’s been charged with DUI, with property damage and refusal to submit to a lawful test.”

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The five-time Augusta National winner was noncommittal about playing at this year’s Masters recently, but Trump said during an interview on “The Five” Thursday that Woods would be at Augusta but would not play.

Fox News Digital’s Ryan Morik contributed to this report. 

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3 players who could pick up the most wickets in today’s RCB vs SRH match

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The 19th edition of IPL 2026 will kick off on Saturday, March 28. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will lock horns with the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the season opener at their fortress – M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

The Rajat Patidar-led side will have a challenging game as they are without their premier bowler, Josh Hazlewood, for their opening game. Meanwhile, Yash Dayal is unavailable for the entire season due to personal reasons. There are also question marks about Nuwan Thusara, who is yet to receive a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) due to fitness issues.

Similarly, SRH will be without their regular captain and ace pacer, Pat Cummins. They recently replaced injured Jack Edwards with David Payne. In this article, we take a look at three bowlers who might emerge as the leading wicket-takers in the opening game of the 2026 season. Take a look below:

Harshal Patel

Harshal Patel - Source: GettyHarshal Patel - Source: Getty
Harshal Patel – Source: Getty

Harshal Patel is often known as Purple Patel owing to his promising record in the IPL. The speedster has scalped 151 wickets in 119 matches at an economy rate of 8.86. The 35-year-old is only third active pacer to bag more than 150 wickets in the tournament after Bhuvneshwar Kumar (198) and Jasprit Bumrah (183). Notably, Patel took 32 and 24 wickets in the 2021 and 2024 editions for RCB and Punjab Kings (PBKS), respectively.

Harshal is known for his ability to vary pace, which yields him the results, particularly in the death overs. The Gujarat-born pacer took 16 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 9.80, including two four-fers in IPL 2025. Against RCB, he has scalped seven wickets in six games at an economy rate of 10.91, including 3/38. The SunRisers retained for INR 8 crore ahead of IPL 2026 auction.

Krunal Pandya

Krunal Pandya - Source: GettyKrunal Pandya - Source: Getty
Krunal Pandya – Source: Getty

Krunal Pandya proved to be one of the Most Valuable Players (MVPs) for RCB last season. The left-arm spinner picked up 17 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 8.23. With 3/29 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he made an impressive debut for the Bengaluru-based franchise before returning with career-best figures of 4/45 against the Mumbai Indians (MI).

Pandya is equally effective in the powerplay as in the slog overs. With 93 scalps in 142 games, he’s on the verge of completing his 100 wickets in the T20 league. The 2025 champions retained him for INR 5.75 crore ahead of the IPL 2026 season.

Shivam Mavi

Shivam Mavi - Source: GettyShivam Mavi - Source: Getty
Shivam Mavi – Source: Getty

SRH bought Shivam Mavi at a steal of INR 75 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction. The medium pacer has established a solid experience during his stint with KKR from 2018 to 2022, picking up 30 wickets in 32 matches at an economy rate of 8.70. He then warmed the bench with the Gujarat Titans (GT) before an injury cut short his stint with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in 2024. As a result, Mavi will be keen to make the most of his comeback. Earlier this year, he picked up 7/59 against Vidarbha in a first-class match.

Besides IPL, Mavi has also tasted international experience. In addition, he has represented India in six T20Is, picking up seven wickets at an economy rate of 8.78. With skipper Cummins ruled out of the first matches for the SunRisers, Mavi might be Harshal’s new partner in crime in the fast-bowling department. While Harshal will try to create pressure from the other end, Mavi could be one bearing the fruit.

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