After letting the ultimate Bosnian penalty slip below his attain on Tuesday, Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma remained on his knees, placing his palms on his head in utter disbelief.
The remainder of his teammates, lined up close to the midway line, both fell to the ground or stood immobile as the house crowd erupted concurrently the Italian gamers’ worlds got here crashing down round them.
The Azzurri had simply misplaced to world No. 65 Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout – the outcome which means Italy won’t play in this 12 months’s World Cup, the third consecutive version that it has did not qualify for.
Italian outlet Gazzetta dello Sport led with a headline calling it “the third apocalypse” – a signal of what soccer means to the nation.
That actuality is scarcely plausible for a nation that has produced a number of the finest gamers in historical past and a staff that has received the World Cup on 4 earlier events, most just lately again in 2006.
It was additionally a actuality that hit the present crop of Italian gamers laborious in the Bosnian metropolis of Zenica.
“We still don’t believe it, that we’re out and that it happened in this manner,” Italy defender Leonardo Spinazzola mentioned after the defeat.
“It’s upsetting for everyone. For us, for our families, and for all the kids who have never seen Italy at a World Cup.”
The truth that Italy even needed to play Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup playoff is a signal of how unhealthy issues have turn out to be for the nationwide facet.
While the remainder of Europe’s elite booked their place for this 12 months’s World Cup by profitable their qualifying teams with ease, the Azzurri completed second behind Norway.
It meant the staff was condemned to the playoffs, the place it efficiently navigated Northern Ireland to set up a winner-takes-all tie towards Bosnia.
It was a tie they couldn’t lose. Despite having to journey to play in powerful circumstances, Italy nonetheless boasted a staff stuffed with elite gamers who ply their commerce in the most important membership groups in the world, like Inter Milan, Juventus and Manchester City.
There additionally gave the impression to be confidence in the camp, with Italy’s gamers seemingly joyful after they found they’d be taking part in the Zmajevi (“Dragons”) as an alternative of Wales for a place on the World Cup – a tie that was arguably simpler on paper.
But the “Beautiful Game” is a sport that typically cares little for status or statistics, and Italy obtained a harsh reminder of that on Tuesday, buying and selling one set of dragons (Y Dreigiau) for one more.
In fact, Italy began the sport on high, scoring in the fifteenth minute by Fiorentina ahead Moise Kean to set up what ought to have been a clean, routine win.
But the competition was turned on its head earlier than the break, when Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni was despatched off for bringing down a Bosnian attacker when he was by on purpose.
Down to 10 males and feeling the burden of expectation greater than ever, the Azzurri appeared to crumble, being pushed again for a lot of the remaining minutes and ultimately conceding a purpose in the 79th minute to Haris Tabaković.
However, towards the chances, Italy managed to power a penalty shootout however missed twice from the spot, in the end permitting Bosnia to qualify for simply its second World Cup as an impartial nation.
Meanwhile, it will likely be at the least 4 extra years till Italy options in one other World Cup, and its woes stretch again even additional.
The final two World Cups that Italy certified for have been in 2010 and 2014. On each events, the Azzurri have been knocked out in the group phases. It means the final World Cup knockout match that Italy performed in was the 2006 World Cup last, which it received on penalties.
There has been a random vibrant spot in the previous 20 years of distress, although. Italy won Euro 2020, beating England on penalties inside Wembley Stadium to safe the nation its second European Championship.
That outcome now seems to be like it was simply papering over some systemic cracks.
Legendary Italian participant Gennaro Gattuso took over as Italy’s supervisor final 12 months, tasked with reversing the unhealthy run. The 48-year-old was a no-nonsense participant, and the engine room in Italy’s final World Cup success.
But even his ardour and expertise as a participant couldn’t mild a hearth in this new era of stars, who look misplaced taking part in on the worldwide stage.
And whereas it’s not but clear whether or not Gattuso will keep in his function, you sense that the supervisor is not the true problem, with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Gabriele Gravina going through contemporary calls to resign.
“That has to happen or Italy will be doomed to relive this again and again,” Italian sports activities journalist Tancredi Palmeri informed NCS Sports’ Amanda Davies, talking concerning the want for large adjustments in the FIGC.
“Obviously, Gattuso is not the problem, but he is not even the solution. He was a temporary coach who came on last June. His task was to restore a sense of belonging to the Italian team, to the national team, to the players. He actually succeeded in that, but football is not only about that.”
The nationwide staff’s struggles are a symptom of a wider downside in Italian soccer. The nation’s high membership groups are now not the perfect in Europe – whereas Inter Milan made the 2025 Champions League last, it was blown out by Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 – and Serie A, Italy’s high division, is slowly falling behind different leagues on the continent.
There are additionally considerations concerning the funding in youth soccer, with the nation crying out for younger expertise to kickstart a new chapter of success.
These points return years, with former Italian talisman Roberto Baggio – arguably the best Italian soccer participant ever – hinting at issues in the FIGC when he abruptly resigned from his place as technical director in 2013. Baggio had been employed three years earlier to assist repair points in the system after Italy’s disastrous 2010 World Cup marketing campaign.
On his departure, Baggio told state broadcaster RAI, “I haven’t been allowed to work: my 900-page program has remained a dead letter. €10 million has been allocated, but I haven’t received a cent yet. I’m bearing the consequences; I’m no longer available to continue.”
NCS Sports has reached out to the FIGC for remark.
The nation’s politicians have now demanded solutions from under-pressure Sports Minister Andrea Abodi, with Italy’s former prime minister Matteo Renzi calling the outcome “a sign that Italian soccer has failed.”
He added: “Soccer isn’t just entertainment in our country; it’s part of our culture and national identity.”
It’s sentiment that explains why the fallout from this third failure would possibly sound so dramatic to these wanting in from the skin.
For a nation that has produced gamers akin to Baggio, Paolo Maldini and Gianluigi Buffon – a number of the best of all time – it’s unimaginable that the nation is now not aggressive on the most important stage.
The autopsy of how the most recent failings have transpired has solely simply begun, however it will contain makes an attempt to fully reshape virtually all the things about how Italian soccer is run.
For now, although, hundreds of thousands of followers in Italy must settle for watching one other World Cup with out their staff in it. Worryingly for them, it’s changing into the brand new regular.