Fans have shared their reactions after Italy fell to a 4-1 penalty shootout defeat against Bosnia & Herzegovina to miss out on this summer’s World Cup. The Azzurri will not play in a third successive edition of the Mundial for the first time in history following their loss.
Gennaro Gattuso’s side were considered favourites to go through to the World Cup after their playoff semi-final win over Northern Ireland. Standing between them and a first World Cup appearance since 2014 were Bosnia, who defeated Wales on penalties to reach the final.
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Italy slipped up again as they surrendered a 1-0 lead to draw the game before a first half red card turned the game on its head. The Azzurri fought as hard as they could in Sarajevo, but ultimately suffered another heartbreak on penalties after 120 minutes of action.
Football fans were disappointed to see 2006 world champions Italy fail on the biggest stage once more, and they took to X to share their views. One fan attributed their struggles to the Zinedine Zidane incident from the World Cup final 20 years ago.
Another fan pointed out that they have lost their ‘aura’ as a major footballing nation.
A fan accused the team of being overconfident before the game, stating that they deserved to lose.
Another fan attributed their failures to ‘choking’, meaning that they lose their nerve at crucial stages.
A fan pointed to their inability to reach the World Cup as the worst thing to happen to Italian football, blaming the quality of their players.
Footage emerged after the semi-final of some Azzurri players celebrating after finding out that they would be having Bosnia & Herzegovina and not Wales. Gattuso’s side have now failed completely to reach the World Cup after losing to the same Bosnia side in a meeting between two sides looking to return to the tournament for the first time in 12 years.
Resilient Bosnia pip Italy to FIFA World Cup ticket
Bosnia & Herzegovina showed great fight to beat Italy on penalties and reach only their second-ever FIFA World Cup finals. The European minnows triumphed 4-1 on penalties after the game ended in a 1-1 draw at the end of 120 minutes of action.
In-form Fiorentina striker Moise Kean scored the opener after 15 minutes, bending an effort into the top corner from the edge of the box after taking advantage of an error. He scored for a sixth consecutive game for the Azzurri, having also found the net against Northern Ireland last week.
Italy got in trouble with few minutes left in the first half, when Alessandro Bastoni mistimed a last-man tackle, earning a straight red card. Bosnia took charge of the tie from this point onwards, commencing an onslaught against the short-handed Italians. They had to wait until the 79th minute for their equaliser, which came from Haris Tabakovic after an Edin Dzeko header was repelled.
Neither side managed to score any more goals even after extra time, leading the game to reach a penalty shootout. Young striker Pio Esposito blazed his effort over the bar while Bryan Cristante struck the frame of the goal for Italy.
Bosnia were perfect with their kicks, scoring all four of their attempts as Esmir Bajraktarevic scored the final penalty. They will now join Canada, Switzerland, and Qatar in Group B of the World Cup.
Edited by Sulayman Salahudeen
