World champions Italy booked a place in next year's finals after substitute Alberto Gilardino grabbed a late equaliser on Saturday to secure a 2-2 draw with Ireland who reached the playoffs as Group Eight runners-up.
Ireland looked to be heading for a famous victory over the Italians that would have taken qualification to the last game after fullback Sean St Ledger put them 2-1 up three minutes from time but Gilardino then popped up to level the scores.
The striker, who came off the bench in the 76th minute to replace Antonio de Natale, silenced the rapturous home crowd as the match crept into stoppage time by poking home Vincenzo Iaquinta's cut back to send his side to South Africa.
"It gives us great satisfaction even if we risked a lot," Italy coach Marcello Lippi told Rai television. "To lose would have been unfair as we played well and the lads have done great with that move to score in the 90th minute for a deserved draw."
Ireland took the lead after eight minutes when midfielder Glenn Whelan found the top corner from outside the box with a glorious strike to finish a superb set piece move after Liam Lawrence set him up from a freekick on the right.
UNASSAILABLE ITALY
Winger Mauro Camoranesi marked his 50th appearance for the Italians with the equaliser after 26 minutes before St Ledger put the Irish back in front with his first international goal.
But Gilardino's strike means Italy lead second-placed Ireland by an unassailable four points with one match left while third-placed Bulgaria's earlier 4-1 defeat in Cyprus had already put the home side into next month's two-legged playoffs.
Ireland, unbeaten in competitive matches since former Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni took charge last year, had dominated the first period of the match after going ahead thanks to the move crafted by Stoke City team mates Lawrence and Whelan.
Italy only registered their first shot on goal after 25 minutes when defender Fabio Grosso's sweetly struck volley flew straight at Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given.
The lively Iaquinta forced a smart tackle from St Ledger seconds later but from the resulting corner, Camoranesi, one of six Juventus starters, nodded in his fifth international goal.
The visitors thought they had taken the lead two minutes after the restart when midfielder Andrea Pirlo again caused uncertainty in the Ireland area with another set piece but Iaquinta used a hand in bundling the ball past Given.
Italy still looked dangerous but Ireland, who last beat the Azzurri at the 1994 World Cup, seemed to have put the champions' qualification on hold when St Ledger scored with a diving header at the far post from substitute Stephen Hunt's corner.
It was left to Gilardino to ruin the Irish party.
ENGLAND LOSE
Ukraine ended already-qualified England's perfect World Cup run with a deserved 1-0 home win in Group Six on Saturday that gave the home side a great chance of reaching the play-offs.
England had won their first eight games to secure top spot in the group but their chances of extending that run virtually disappeared after 14 minutes when goalkeeper Robert Green was sent off for bringing down Artem Milevskiy.
Andriy Shevchenko missed the resulting penalty but Ukraine, who created several chances throughout the game, got the decisive goal after 29 minutes when Sergiy Nazarenko's shot flew in via Ashley Cole's head.
The victory took Ukraine to 18 points, one ahead of Croatia. Ukraine complete their fixtures with a trip to pointless Andorra on Wednesday while Croatia visit Kazakhstan.
ARGENTINA MAKE PROGRESS
Diego Forlan and Martin Palermo scored last-gasp goals as Argentina, Uruguay and Ecuador switched places on a dramatic Saturday of South American qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup.
Diego Maradona's Argentina, having beaten Peru 2-1 at home in torrential rain, go to Montevideo on Wednesday to defend an automatic berth in the South Africa finals against a Uruguay side that turned the tables on Ecuador.
Ecuador had started the day in fourth place but their 2-1 home defeat by Uruguay left them sixth before Wednesday's visit to Chile, who took South America's third berth with a 4-2 victory in Colombia.
Brazil, who play a dead rubber away to Bolivia on Sunday, and Paraguay, whose 2-1 away win over Venezuela put them level on points with Dunga's side at the top of the group, had already qualified.
Maradona called veteran striker Martin Palermo a miracle man after his goal two minutes into stoppage time gave Argentina victory on a sodden Monumental pitch.
"I thought we were liquidated, but at that moment I forgot about Palermo," a relieved Maradona said of his desperation in the agonising minutes between Hernan Rengifo's last-minute equaliser for Peru and Palermo's winner.