Italy's Potential Penalty Takers for Northern Ireland Play-Off Shootout

Italy is set to face Northern Ireland in a critical World Cup play-off semifinal, with aspirations of securing qualification for the final without the need for extra time or a dreaded penalty shootout. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso has confirmed that Mateo Retegui will be the designated penalty taker during regular play. Retegui has a mixed record from the spot, having successfully converted against Israel but missed once against Estonia.

Gattuso also revealed that the squad practiced three penalties each on the eve of the match, indicating thorough preparation for all potential scenarios.

Should the match extend to a shootout after 120 minutes, several key players are identified as likely candidates to step up. Moise Kean, Matteo Politano, Sandro Tonali, and Manuel Locatelli are among the most prominent names considered.

• Moise Kean: Over the last two years at Fiorentina, Kean has converted three out of four penalty attempts.
• Matteo Politano: Politano boasts a perfect record for Napoli, scoring all four of his penalty kicks in Coppa Italia shootouts.
• Sandro Tonali: While he hasn't taken penalties for Newcastle, Tonali successfully converted both his attempts during his time at Milan.
• Manuel Locatelli: Despite missing his most recent penalty for Juventus, Locatelli had previously scored two successful attempts this season.

Other players within the squad also have recent penalty experience, both positive and negative:

• Gianluca Mancini: Missed a penalty during the 2023 Europa League Final shootout.
• Bryan Cristante: Mancini's Roma teammate successfully converted his penalty in the same Europa League shootout.
• Alessandro Bastoni & Nicolò Barella: Both players missed their last penalty kicks in a Supercoppa Italiana semifinal shootout against Bologna in December.
• Giacomo Raspadori: Missed one penalty for Napoli but found the net from the spot for Italy in a 3-3 draw against Germany in 2023.

The Azzurri will undoubtedly be aiming to clinch victory within the standard 90 minutes to avoid the high-stakes drama and uncertainty of a penalty decider.