suffered extra ache final night time after failing to qualify for the 2026 , extending their distress to what’s going to now be a 3rd version with out the four-time winners.
One of the glittering soccer nations traditionally, the Azzurri couldn’t fend off Bosnia and Herzogovina in a play-off closing, regardless of taking the lead by means of Moises Kean.
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A crimson card for Alessandro Bastoni gave the hosts hope and Haris Tankovic’s equaliser pushed the tie into extra-time and subsequently penalties.
Bosnia have been excellent from the spot, however Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed to make sure Gennaro Gattuso’s facet will sit at dwelling this summer season regardless of the match increasing to 48 groups.
Right here is how the Italian newspapers reacted to a different darkish night time for Italian soccer:
“Through Tutti,” everybody out, is the headline on the entrance of Tuttosport, with columnist Guido Vaciago declaring sweeping adjustments, underlining there should be “penalties at each degree.”
Tuttosport reacts to Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup 2026 (Tuttosport)
He continues {that a} “reset” is rarely the answer, however “it may be medication” for a proud footballing nation that has exited on the group phases twice earlier than three failures to qualify following their well-known 2006 victory in Berlin.
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Gazzetta dello Sport provides “Tutti a Casa,” everybody at dwelling, the identical headline for the third nationwide sport every day, Corriere dello Sport.
Italy react to defeat in opposition to Bosnia (AP)
The longer term appears bleak for supervisor Gattuso, however the former Milan and Italy midfielder claimed it was not the time to debate whether or not he would proceed in cost.
“I simply completed chatting with the workforce. I can solely thank them, because it had been years since I’d seen the Nazionale play with such coronary heart,” Gattuso informed Sky Sport Italia.
Corriere dello Sport reacts to Italy’s shock defeat within the play-offs (Corriere dello Sport)
“It hurts, it actually hurts, however we should settle for it. I don’t need to discuss referees or the rest, we may’ve scored a second aim and didn’t, we suffered with all these crosses, we gave the whole lot.
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“I’m pleased with them, it hurts to just accept this verdict. It’s going to take time. On a private degree, it’s a heavy blow.”
Extra response sees Corriere della Sera underline how Bosnia “humiliated us,” whereas Fabrizio Roncone writes: “It’s a full nightmare, however Gattuso deserves thanks: he had nothing to do with this. In a traditional nation, Gravina would resign.”
And Gabriele Romagnoli from La Repubblica provides: “20 years of solitude lived within the absence of a plan.” With the equally scathing Maurizio Crosetti, in the identical newspaper, including that Italy’s “behavior of mediocrity is our evil.”
Gazzetta dello Sport reacts to Italy’s shock defeat within the play-offs (Gazzetta dello Sport)
One other column provides how Italy displayed “the face of catastrophe” and went “from pleasure to hell” in Bosnia.
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La Stampa’s homepage reads “catastrophe”, with Kean’s head in his palms after coming to phrases with Italy’s painful actuality, columnist Maurizio De Giovanni concludes that the match confirmed “a mirror of the worst nation.”
Burnley perception after the break
