GENNARO GATTUSO EXITS AS ITALY MANAGER AFTER WORLD CUP QUALIFYING FAILURE

Italians have missed three consecutive World Cups after playoff defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina

Italy's head coach Gennaro Gattuso. Photograph: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty

Italy have parted company with their head coach, Gennaro Gattuso, the country’s football federation (FIGC) said on Friday, after the national team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.

Italy lost Tuesday’s playoff final in Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties and the four-times champions have now missed out on three consecutive World Cups.

Gattuso’s departure came a day after the FIGC president, Gabriele Gravina resigned, with the national team delegation head, Gianluigi Buffon, also stepping down from his role.

“With a heavy heart, having failed to achieve the goal we had set ourselves, I consider my time in charge of the national team to be over,” Gattuso said in a statement. “The Azzurri shirt is the most precious asset in football, which is why it is right to facilitate future technical assessments with immediate effect.

“It has been an honour to lead the national team, and to do so with a group of lads who have shown commitment and loyalty to the shirt.”

Gattuso was appointed in June on a one-year contract, replacing Luciano Spalletti who was sacked following Italy’s 3-0 defeat by Norway in their opening group game, although he remained in place for the 2-0 win over Moldova the next day.

Italy won their next five group games under Gattuso, but given Norway’s far superior goal difference, they were resigned to another World Cup playoff before the final group game, which Norway won 4-1 at the San Siro.

Italy had lost at the playoff stage of the last two World Cups, but looked on course to make it this time after a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland in the semi-final, before it all fell apart in Bosnia. Gattuso’s 10-man team let slip a 1-0 lead and crumbled in the penalty shootout. 

- Guardian

ITALY'S WORLD CUP NIGHTMARE DEEPENS WITH SHOOT-OUT DEFEAT WITH BOSNIA

Italy will miss a third straight World Cup after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a qualification play-off final on Tuesday, falling 4-1 in a penalty shoot-out. Esmir Bajraktarevic scored the decisive spot-kick in Zenica, sending Bosnia into Group B and extending Italy’s qualifying misery.

Bosnia reached their second World Cup finals, and first since 2014, in front of a passionate crowd which invaded the pitch after a historic victory © Elvis BARUKCIC, AFP

Italy will miss out on a third straight World Cup after falling to Bosnia and Hercegovina in Tuesday's breathless qualification play-off final, the Azzurri blowing their chance to reach this summer's tournament in North America with a 4-1 penalty shoot-out defeat.

Esmir Bajraktarevic shot the winning spot-kick in Zenica where the Bosnians booked a place in Group B and matches against co-hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar, and plunged Italy into a new nightmare.

Four-time world champions, Italy took the lead through Moise Kean in the 15th minute but then folded under the weight of expectation at the Bilino Polje Stadium after having to play most of the match with 10 men.

Italy were already firmly on the back foot when Alessandro Bastoni was sent off for chopping down Amar Memic four minutes before half-time, and Haris Tabakovic poked home Bosnia's deserved leveller in the 79th minute to take the match to extra time.

And the horror show continued in the subsequent shoot-out, with Pio Esposito smashing Italy's first penalty over the goal, and when Bryan Cristante hit the bar and Bajraktarevic squeezed his effort under Gianluigi Donnarumma, the game was up.

"I don't think the boys deserved to suffer such a blow, for the performance, the effort and the heart that they showed tonight... I'm proud of the boys," said a visibly shaken Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso.

"It's difficult to digest."

Gattuso added that talking about his future "wasn't important" but Gabriele Gravina, the head of the Italian Football Federation, later told reporters he had asked Gattuso to stay on as coach and he would not being resigning from his position.

Italy are the first World Cup winners to miss three consecutive editions of the tournament, and it was also a third straight elimination in the play-offs after Sweden in 2018 and North Macedonia four years ago.

Bosnia meanwhile reached their second World Cup finals, and first since 2014, in front of a passionate crowd which invaded the pitch after a historic victory.

"They're guys with character. We have guys we're proud of," said Bosnia coach Sergej Barbarez.

"I've told them that we have to go to a tournament every two years."

Some Italy players were filmed celebrating when Bosnia won their semi-final -- again on penalties -- against Wales, behaviour which looked even more foolish after the way Bosnia tore into their opponents.

Sorry Italy 

Italy looked nervy in the opening exchanges but were given a helping hand in opening the scoring by Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, who under pressure from Mateo Retegui passed the ball straight to Nicolo Barella.

The Inter Milan midfielder offloaded to Kean who confidently curled home his eighth goal in six international appearances from the edge of the penalty area.

Bosnia reacted well to going behind, continuing to harry Italy and force mistakes on a bobbly pitch, and Ermedin Demirovic glanced a header inches wide in the 38th minute.

And the already rowdy home fans smelled blood when Bastoni was given his marching orders for his horrendous challenge, the Inter defender arriving late on Memic and giving referee Clement Turpin no choice but to show him a straight red card.

A man down and with a slender lead to protect, Gattuso brought on Juventus centre-back Federico Gatti for Retegui and set his team up to soak up the waves of Bosnia pressure which came after the break.

Donnarumma had to be alert to punch away Kerim Alajbegovic's powerful drive in the 52nd minute, but Kean wasted a golden chance to double Italy's lead on the hour mark when he pounced on Memic's sloppy pass and charged towards goal only to smash his shot over the bar.

And after Esposito and Dimarco failed to make the most of presentable shooting opportunities, substitute Tabakovic sparked wild celebrations after Edin Dzeko's header was clawed off the line by Donnarumma.

Another superb Donnarumma save from Demirovic's header kept Italy level and extra time was equally tense, with the Italians furious that Tarik Muharemovic was not sent off for taking out Marco Palestra as the Cagliari defender burst towards goal.

But that won't be much of an excuse after another sorry effort to reach the World Cup ended in dismal fashion in the shoot-out.']

- FRANCE 24 with AFP

SANDO TONALI SAVES ITALY FROM DISASTER

Sandro Tonali wheeled off in celebration in stoppage time when his speculative effort went through a sea of legs and into the net to win a rollercoaster of a match in Debrecen.

Sandro Tonali earned Italy a thrilling 5-4 win against Israel with the decisive late strike.

Sandro Tonali earned Italy a thrilling 5-4 win against Israel on Tuesday (IST) with the decisive late strike in the 2026 World Cup qualifier just as it looked like the Azzurri were plunging into another crisis. Newcastle United midfielder Tonali wheeled off in celebration in stoppage time when his speculative effort went through a sea of legs and into the net to win a rollercoaster of a match in Debrecen, Hungary, which Italy looked to have thrown away. The Azzurri, who have missed the last two World Cups, were leading 4-2 in the 81st minute when substitute Giacomo Raspadori rolled home almost immediately after replacing the impressive Moise Kean, who netted Italy's first two goals.

However, a clumsy Alessandro Bastoni own-goal and Dor Peretz's header drew Israel level before Tonali's fortunate effort moved Italy up to second in Group I -- level on nine points with Israel who have played a game more -- and in the play-off spot.

"We'll take the win which was crucial for us, but we're completely nuts, nuts because we conceded some absurd goals," said Gennaro Gattuso.

"We need to work on that because we're too fragile, we concede goals too easily. The boys know that, but this is my problem to fix.

"You have to give credit to the boys because every time they took a slap they had the courage to react and fight back." 

Italy trail leaders Norway by three points and still have a chance of taking first place and the group's sole direct qualifying spot.

But new coach Gattuso has a lot to think about ahead of October's return fixtures with Estonia and Israel, whose players donned black armbands in honour of the victims of Monday morning's deadly shooting at a bus stop in east Jerusalem carried out Palestinian gunmen.

Nominal home team Israel would have been good value for the draw, as Kean had previously twice pulled Italy out of the mire following Manuel Locatelli's early own-goal and a fabulous Dor Peretz strike in the 52nd minute in a largely empty Nagyerdei Stadium.

Italy rocked

Monday's match had cast a political cloud over Gattuso's first fixtures in charge of Italy due to Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip.

The small group of Italian fans present turned their backs to the pitch during the Israeli national anthem, while boos also rang out from sections of the stadium, before then holding up banners which read "stop".

And the Italians on the pitch looked equally uninterested in the match come kick-off, with Israel snappier and more aggressive than the four-time world champions.

The nominal home had already had a goal disallowed by the time Locatelli bundled Dan Biton's cross into his own net.

Locatelli almost made up for his own-goal when he struck the bar with an acrobatic volley in the 31st minute, seconds before Kean wasted a great opportunity from a Gianluca Mancini cut-back.

But 10 minutes later Kean thumped a low drive past Daniel Peretz after collecting a knockdown from strike partner Mateo Retegui.

And Kean came to the rescue again nine minutes after the break, levelling with another powerful low shot just seconds after Peretz put Israel ahead for the second time with a brilliant first-time effort.

Politano finally put Italy ahead with a great volley after more fine work from Retegui, and when Raspadori rolled home the fourth it seemed the away team looked out of the woods.

But it took Tonali's unusual winner to finally secure the three points after uncharacteristically bad defending nearly left Italy's hopes of qualification hanging by a thread.

- Agency France-Presse 

GENNARO GATTUSO ON LOSING