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.
Four-time World Cup champions Italy will miss the 2026 tournament after losing on penalties in a stunner to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Gli Azzurri took an early lead off of Moise Kean's 15th-minute finish, but couldn't capitalize on other chances to go further ahead. Haris Tabaković played the spoiler, leveling for Bosnia in the 79th minute. Italy failed to deliver on spot kicks, losing 4-1 in that round.
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.
The race for Fisnik Asllani's signature is heating up, and Barcelona have firmly positioned themselves at the front of the queue. The Hoffenheim striker, who has also been a revelation for the Kosovo national team, has seen his stock rise significantly over the last few months, leading to concrete enquiries from several of Europe's elite.
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