Lacklustre Italy assured of World Cup play-off spot after Bosnia's slip-up
Bosnia and Herzegovina's heartbreaking 4-3 defeat Saturday to Belgium guaranteed Group G runner-up Italy will take part in the play-off round next month.
Despite dropping points Friday to Macedonia, the Azzurri managed to sneak into the backdoor of the qualifying phase. That's because neither Bosnia nor Greece - who are vying for second in Group H with just one match remaining - can catch Italy in the play-off standings.
Only eight of the nine runners-up advance to the next round.
# | Team | Pts | GD | GF |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Portugal | 18 | +18 | 22 |
2 | Italy | 14 | +3 | 11 |
3 | Sweden | 13 | +10 | 17 |
4 | Denmark | 13 | +7 | 12 |
5 | Northern Ireland | 13 | +5 | 10 |
6 | Greece | 13 | +4 | 9 |
7 | Wales | 11 | +2 | 7 |
8 | Croatia | 11 | +2 | 6 |
9 | Scotland | 11 | -1 | 8 |
Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Wales, and Croatia still have varying chances of finishing atop their respective groups.
Greece, meanwhile, leapfrogged Bosnia with a 2-1 win over Cyprus later in the day.
FIFA discounts results against each group's last-placed team when ranking the nine runners-up. Considering Greece faces bottom-feeder Gibraltar next Tuesday, for example, it cannot finish with more than 13 points in these standings.
Italy was well positioned to claim a play-off berth despite last month's embarrassing loss to Spain. Not even a disappointing 1-1 draw Friday with Macedonia could derail Giampiero Ventura's side.
The first leg of the play-off phase will take place from Nov. 9-11, with the reverse fixtures set for the following week.
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