Rome, Apr:
One of football’s historic powers has reached a once-unfathomable low Four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup after getting beat in a penalty shootout with 10 men at 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs on Tuesday.
Moise Kean scored early on for Italy but then Azzurri centre back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card before the break and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalised in the 79th to send the game into extra time at 1-1. The defeat added more misery for Italy’s once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.
Bosnia won the shootout 4-1 and qualified for the first time since 2014 – its only previous appearance. In the shootout, Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their spot kicks and US-born Esmir Bajraktarevic converted the decisive penalty for Bosnia. The first time was considered a fluke. The second was treated as a crisis. Now, with Italy failing to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup, it has become almost expected for the once-proud football nation.