On this day in 1958, Northern Ireland beat Italy 2-1 in Belfast to qualify for their first ever FIFA World Cup.
Northern Ireland were paired with Italy and Portugal in what was a fiercely contested qualifying group. The Italians had beaten the Irish 1-0 in Rome the previous year and were scheduled to play them again in Belfast in December 1957. But Hungarian referee Istvan Zsolt’s flight from London to Belfast was grounded by fog. English referee Arthur Ellis was on standby but the Irish Football Association’s delay in reaching a decision meant that Ellis could not officiate the match.