Italy’s World Cup journey took another heartbreaking turn on Tuesday night, as they were defeated 4-1 by Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in their playoff final.
This loss marks Italy’s fourth consecutive failure to reach the World Cup finals since their last triumph in 2006. The Italian team, known affectionately as ‘The Azzurri’, had previously qualified for the tournament in 2014, coinciding with Bosnia’s only previous appearance at the event.
Despite a strong start from Moise Kean and an impressive performance by goalkeeper Alessandro Bastoni, Italy’s fortunes took a downturn when Bastoni was sent off just before halftime. Bosnia levelled the score through Haris Tabakovic, but both Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their penalties, while the hosts made no mistakes.
The decisive moment came in the 90th minute when Kerim Alajbegovic converted his penalty to secure victory for Bosnia, who will join Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland in Group B. The Italian fans were left stunned by this latest setback, with many expressing disappointment and frustration over their team’s performance.
Bosnia manager Sergej Barbarez praised his young players’ composure on the pitch, while Italy’s future at the World Cup remains uncertain as they face significant soul-searching following yet another failure to reach the finals.