Four-time champions Italy missed out on a third-consecutive World Cup after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a penalty shootout in its playoff final on Tuesday in Zenica.
With the loss, Italy becomes the first former champions to miss out on three-straight World Cups.
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Moise Kean scored early on for Italy but then Azzurri center-back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card before the break and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th.
The match then went to extra time with the score 1-1 and Italy down to 10 men, but neither team scored in the 30 added minutes. In the shootout, Italy missed two of its spot attempts while Bosnia was perfect in all four of its tries to win 4-1.
The defeat added more misery for Italy’s once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups and last won a knockout round game in 2006 in its win over France in the final.
In last week’s European playoff semifinals, Italy beat Northern Ireland 2-0. Bosnia eliminated Wales in a penalty shootout.
In Tuesday’s other European playoff finals, Sweden and Turkey each qualified. Sweden beat Poland 3-2 and Turkey beat Kosovo 1-0. Czechia also qualified after beating Denmark in a shootout to clinch its spot at the World Cup.
The latest ouster for Italy means that the 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 champions will go at least 16 years without even playing a match at soccer’s biggest event.
Italy’s World Cup struggles go back all the way to 2010 and 2014, having failed to advance from its group on both occasions. Although the Azzurri did win the European Championship in 2021.
The only other World Cup that Italy did not qualify for was in 1958.
Bosnia, who will play at a second World Cup following their debut in 2014, will be in Group B at this summer’s tournament alongside co-hosts Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
Information from The Associated Press and PA was used in this report.
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