Italy failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for a third consecutive time, and head coach Gennaro Gattuso didn’t hide the pain.
The Azzurri’s latest setback came via a playoff penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica on Tuesday.
The four-time world champions, last crowned at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, had started brightly, taking an early lead. But the game turned after Italy were reduced to 10 men, allowing Bosnia to claw their way back before eventually prevailing in the shootout.
“It Hurts”
A visibly emotional Gattuso struggled to process the result.
“Today the boys didn’t deserve a beating like this,” he told RAI. “We were left with 10 players, we had three decent chances, and they barely troubled us. I’m sorry… I’m proud of
my boys.”
The frustration was evident.
“It hurts, because we needed it for us, for all of Italy and for our movement. A blow that’s difficult to digest.”
Refereeing Frustrations
Italy’s camp was particularly aggrieved by a controversial moment in extra time, when a foul by Tarik Muharemovic on the edge of the box resulted only in a yellow card.
Gattuso, however, chose to tread carefully.
“I don’t want to talk about anything, but today it’s unfair,” he said, stopping short of directly criticising the officials.
A Familiar Pain
This marks the third straight World Cup Italy will miss — a staggering reality for the Azzurri, one of football’s traditional powerhouses.
Gattuso, who took charge after replacing Luciano Spalletti earlier in the campaign, acknowledged the magnitude of the disappointment.
“We’re talking for the umpteenth time that we don’t go to the World Cup. I apologise if I didn’t make it.”
When asked about his own position, Gattuso was clear that this wasn’t the moment.
“Today, talking about my future is not important. It was important to go to the World Cup,” he said.
(with Reuters inputs)
