Italy’s World Cup nightmare deepened on a heartbreaking night as the four-time champions crashed out yet again, this time losing on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina to miss a third straight tournament.
History has now turned brutal for the Azzurri, who failed to reach 2018 FIFA World Cup and 2022 FIFA World Cup, and will now also sit out the 2026 showpiece, an unprecedented fall for one of football’s giants.
Despite taking an early lead through Moise Kean, Italy’s hopes unraveled when Alessandro Bastoni was sent off before halftime.
Reduced to 10 men, Gennaro Gattuso’s side fought bravely, with Gianluigi Donnarumma pulling off a string of saves to keep them alive.
But resistance finally broke late on, as Haris Tabakovic pounced to force extra time.
In the shootout, misses from Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante proved costly, handing Bosnia-Herzegovina a famous victory.
Led by veteran captain Edin Džeko, the Balkan side sealed just their second-ever World Cup qualification and will face Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B.
For Italy, however, the fallout is seismic. A tearful Gattuso called the defeat “a blow that’s difficult to digest,” while FIGC president Gabriele Gravina admitted the nation’s football is now in a “profound crisis.”
From champions to absentees, Italy’s fall from grace is no longer a shock, it’s a worrying pattern.
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