If this result does not force Italian football to rip everything up and start again, perhaps nothing will.
The four-times world champions have failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup – a source of utter shame for one of the game’s traditional powerhouses.
Playing with 10 men for much of the match, Italy eventually succumbed 4-1 on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina and will miss out on next summer’s showpiece in North America and Mexico. There was glory for the 40-year-old Edin Dzeko, who will become one of the oldest outfield players to contest a World Cup. Bosnia had 31 in shots in total and deserved to advance.
The Azzurri have not won a game at the Finals since 2014 and not contested a knock-out encounter since they beat France on penalties in the 2006 Final. Now they will have to wait at least until 2030 for another crack.
This latest embarrassment, following the failure to reach the 2018 or 2022 tournaments, will immediately place the future of head coach Gennaro Gattuso and Italian FA president Gabriele Gravina in serious doubt. But if Italian football believes it can right the ship simply by changing the officers, it shows its leaders have learned nothing. Lots of fine words will be spoken in the days ahead. Whether anyone will actually act on them, or whether anyone really cares, is another matter entirely.
On a very poor pitch in Zenica, both sides made plenty of errors in the early stages and it was a mistake that led to the opener.
Italy failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup after losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Pio Esposito blazed Italy’s first penalty of the shoot-out over the crossbar
Esposito appeared distraught following Italy’s 4-1 penalty shoot-out heartbreak
Bosnia and Herzegovina celebrated booking their place at just their second World Cup
Under no pressure, Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj gifted possession to Nicolo Barella. His pass picked out Moise Kean whose first-time strike from 20 yards found the corner.
After that it was the home side who made most of the running. Ivan Basic brought a sharp stop from Gianluigi Donnarumma and Ermedin Demirovic’s header drifted just wide. Then Italy suffered a huge setback just before the break when Donnarumma’s poor clearance was headed back towards Italy’s goal and when Bastoni stretched for the ball, he took out Amar Memic instead and was shown a straight red card.
There was intense pressure from the home side at the start of the second half but at the other end, Kean squandered a glorious chance to double his side’s lead when he raced through but shot wide one on one with Vasilj.
Just when Italy seemed to be edging towards the finishing line, Bosnia levelled. Donnarumma saved brilliantly from Dzeko but could do nothing when the rebound fell to substitute Haris Tabakovic, who bundled it home from three yards.
That led to extra-time and both sides were edge. To the fury of the Italian players and bench, Tarik Muharemovic was shown only a yellow card for chopping down substitute Marco Palestra as he charged through.
When the shoot-out came, Bosnia scored all four of their kicks while Francesco Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed for Italy.
Italy used to idolise its footballers. Yet the sporting heroes are now tennis star Jannik Sinner and Formula One’s teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli, to name two. A generation will never see Italy play at a major Finals.
Those Italy players who were filmed celebrating Bosnia’s win over Wales in the play-off semi-finals last Thursday will regret it for some time.
Alessandro Bastoni (seated) was sent off in the first half to change the dynamic of the match
Moise Kean had put Italy ahead in the early stages to appear to put them on course for the World Cup
Haris Tabakovic levelled for Bosnia in the second half from close range after Edin Dzeko was denied
Yet they should take only a small share of the blame. Because this is what happens when the authorities do nothing to promote or protect the national team.
When clubs show no interest in developing promising young Italian players and instead fill their teams with average or ageing players from overseas on free transfers, this is the result.
When a football system suffers from ramshackle stadiums, hopeless marketing strategies, byzantine planning laws and is dominated by parochial self-interest, nobody should be surprised at a humiliation like this. The question now is whether they can ever recover.
