Italy’s World Cup goals got here crashing down after within the play-off closing on Tuesday night, however questions have been requested over an Edin Dzeko handball and a possible second purple card incident in additional time.
Italy took the lead after quarter-hour because of an exquisite first-time end from Fiorentina’s Moise Kean, however issues took a flip for the more severe when Inter defender Alessandero Bastoni worn out Amar Memic and earned a straight purple card a couple of minutes earlier than half-time.
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The ten-man Azzurri held on till the 79th minute earlier than conceding, and did nicely to see the sport via till penalties, however after misses from Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante within the first three kicks of the shoot-out and with Bosnia scoring all of their first 4, Italy have been eradicated on the World Cup play-off stage for the third match cycle in a row.
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Gamers of Italy present their dejection of Italy in the course of the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photograph by Getty Pictures/Getty Pictures)
Which refereeing choices upset Italy in opposition to Bosnia?
The primary incident in query is the handball by Dzeko within the build-up to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 79th-minute equaliser in opposition to Italy.
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A cross had are available in from the suitable flank. Dzeko and Gianluca Mancini have been tussling on the again submit, and although he had made an try and get his head to it, the ball clearly got here off the arm of the Bosnian veteran.
Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Dzeko’s try, however Haris Tabakovic was available to prod residence the rebound from point-blank vary.
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Haris Tabakovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina scores his staff’s equalizing objective in the course of the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photograph by Getty Pictures/Getty Pictures)
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In response to the legal guidelines of the sport, it’s an offence if a participant scores a objective immediately from their hand or arm, even when unintended, which signifies that had Donnarumma let Dzeko’s try go in, it might have been dominated out.
Nonetheless, as Bosnia didn’t rating immediately from Dzeko’s handball, and as this was presumably thought of an ‘unintended’ handball, the objective was not dominated out.
Ought to Bosnia have had a person despatched off in opposition to Italy?
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: The referee Clèment Turpin reveals the purple card to Alessandro Bastoni of Italy in the course of the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photograph by Getty Pictures/Getty Pictures)
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Provided that Bastoni was despatched off within the first half for a last-man problem, there have been options that Bosnia ought to have additionally been diminished to 10 males after Sassuolo’s Tariq Muharemovic introduced down Marco Palestra within the twelfth minute of extra-time.
Sandro Tonali slipped the younger full-back in with a perfectly-weighted via ball, however the Cagliari teen was then worn out on the sting of the world. Muharemovic was proven a yellow card consequently.
In response to the , there are 4 key issues in terms of the denial of an apparent goalscoring alternative (DOGSO). They’re: The gap between the offence and the objective, the final course of play, the chance of holding or gaining management of the ball and the placement and variety of defenders.
WROCLAW, POLAND – MARCH 26: Milan and Roma Referee Clement Turpin of France seems on in the course of the UEFA EURO 2024 Play-Offs closing match between Ukraine and Iceland at Tarczynski Area on March 26, 2024 in Wroclaw, Poland. (Photograph by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Pictures)
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was happy that Bastoni’s first-half deserved a purple card provided that he introduced down Memic round 10 yards exterior the penalty space, barely to the left of centre of the objective, and that Memic would have retained possession of the ball and would have been clear via one-on-one with Donnarumma in any other case.
As for the Muharemovic problem on Palestra, the Italy teen was additionally operating via on objective from a comparatively central place, however it’s assumed that Muharemovic was not thought of the final man as midfielder Dzenis Burnic was additionally on the scene when the problem got here in.