Italy beats Northern Ireland 2-0 in World Cup playoff semifinal. Gyökeres gets hat trick for Sweden

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.

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.

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.

“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.

Viktor Gyökeres hit a hat trick to send Sweden past Ukraine 3-1 despite not having scored for his country since 2024. Until Thursday, Gyökeres 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.

“Viktor Gyökeres 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.

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.

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. 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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Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso celebrates after the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Sandro Tonali celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso celebrates after the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Moise Kean celebrates scoring his side's second goal during the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Sweden's Viktor Gyokeres, top, and Ukraine's goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin challenge for the ball during a World Cup playoff semifinal soccer match between Ukraine and Sweden in Valencia, Spain, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Saiz)

Italy's Moise Kean, left, and teammate Francesco Pio Esposito, right, celebrate after Kean scored his side's second goal during the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Sandro Tonali celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Wales' Daniel James celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the World Cup playoff semifinal soccer match between Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, Wales, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (David Davies/PA via AP)

FILE - Ireland's Troy Parrott, right, celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the World Cup 2026 group F qualifying soccer match between Hungary and Ireland in Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Denes Erdos, File)

Italy's Sandro Tonali celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italy's Sandro Tonali, right, scores his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Teammates run towards Italy's Sandro Tonali, left, who scored his side's first goal during the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Romania's head coach Mircea Lucescu follows the action during the 2026 World Cup playoff semifinal soccer match between Turkey and Romania, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo)

Turkey's Ferdi Kadioglu, left, and Arda Guler celebrate at the end of the 2026 World Cup playoff semifinal soccer match between Turkey and Romania, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo)

Italy's Sandro Tonali, left, and Italy's Riccardo Calafiori warm up prior to the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Italian fans wait for the start of the World Cup qualifying play-off soccer match between Italy and Northern Ireland, in Bergamo, Italy, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Turkish supporters cheer at the stand prior the 2026 World Cup playoff semifinal soccer match between Turkey and Romania, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo)

Romania's head coach Mircea Lucescu gives instructions during the 2026 World Cup playoff semifinal soccer match between Turkey and Romania, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo)

Turkey's Arda Guler grabs the ball during the 2026 World Cup playoff semifinal soccer match between Turkey and Romania, in Istanbul, Turkey, Thursday, March 26, 2026. (AP Photo)

Wales' Liam Cullen, left, during a training session, in Hensol, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

Wales' Ben Cabango, left, and Neco Williams during a training session, in Hensol, England, Wednesday March 25, 2026. (Nick Potts/PA via AP)

FILE -Italy's Pio Esposito reacts during the 2026 World Cup Group I qualifier soccer match between Italy and Norway in Milan, Italy, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

FILE -Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso gestures during the 2026 World Cup Group I qualifier soccer match between Italy and Norway in Milan, Italy, Nov. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.

The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.

On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."

Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”

A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.

“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.

The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”

“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.

The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”

Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”

“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”

The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”

Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.

Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.

Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.

The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”

“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”

The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.

“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)