Leonardo Spinazzola has laid bare the heartbreak within the Italy squad after Bosnia and Herzegovina extinguished their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup. The veteran fullback admitted his own international dream is likely over while expressing his deepest sympathies for a generation of Italian children who have never seen their nation on the biggest stage.
Italy head coach Gennaro Gattuso admitted he is in deep pain after the Azzurri failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup following a dramatic playoff defeat in the hands of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the historic failure, the Italian football federation has already moved to clarify the manager's immediate future amid the fallout.
The Czech Republic went to a penalty shoot-out twice – and both times the team kept their nerve. After two real nail-biters, the team has now qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 20 years.
Craig Bellamy has addressed links to the Celtic job following a crushing blow to his aspirations with the Welsh national team. The 46-year-old has garnered significant praise for his rejuvenation of the squad, guiding them to a World Cup play-off semi-final where they were eventually eliminated on penalties by Bosnia.
For the former Italy and Inter defender, the sense that they might not make it was palpable against Northern Ireland. Now it’s Bosnia, who are beatable
Italy are World Cup royalty. Only five-time winners Brazil have been crowned champions on more occasions than the Azzurri (four). And yet it's now 20 years since Italy last lifted the trophy. Worse still, they've failed to qualify for the past two tournaments, meaning there's an entire generation that have never seen their country even play in a World Cup.
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