Italy suffer shock defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey beat Kosovo
Updated ,first published
Italy’s national torture continues. The four-time champions will miss their third consecutive World Cup after losing 4-1 on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a do-or-die qualifier; It’s another crippling blow for the once-mighty football nation.
The scores were tied 1-1 after extra time at the Stadion Bilino Polje in Zenica. Azzurri The score was reduced to 10 at half-time as Alessandro Bastoni was sent off for cutting Amar Memic as he was running towards goal.
It took until the 79th minute for Bosnia and Herzegovina to equalize through Haris Tabakovic, sparking a late rally spurred on by a lively and partisan home crowd – but neither side could produce a winner and so it came down to a penalty shoot-out.
But Francesco Pio Esposito sparked Italy’s first over the bar – and then Bryan Cristante hit the woodwork with his third, allowing Esmir Bajraktarevic to etch his name into national folklore with the winner.
Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had come to Italy’s rescue many times during the previous 120 minutes, could not get close to any of the home team’s penalties, and Bosnia and Herzegovina advanced to the World Cup for the second time since the dissolution of Yugoslavia in 1990.
Even more impressive was that they won the penalty shoot-out despite the intervention of their captain and talisman, Edin Dzeko, who was injured in the last game of the second half of extra time.
Azzurri The players were stunned and shattered, disbelief written all over their faces.
Assuming they hold the next one in 2030 – which is not guaranteed on current evidence – 16 years will have passed between matches in Italy, an unimaginable outcome for one of the game’s traditional powers.
Azzurri They failed to qualify for Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia respectively. But even the controversial expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams, 16 of which are UEFA countries, could not change their fortunes.
This was a blow for FIFA and the three host countries of this year’s World Cup – the US, Canada and Mexico – which had hoped for an economic boost from Italy’s participation, especially given the size of the country’s diaspora in North America.
And this is a huge defeat for Italy’s damaged reputation in football. Accusations will start immediately, but they’ve happened twice before and they’ve done nothing to help.
Bosnia’s famous victory wasn’t the only penalty shoot-out in Europe on Wednesday morning (AEDT) as the World Cup qualifying play-offs came to a close. Despite falling behind in regular time and extra time, the Czech Republic defeated Denmark 3-1 on penalties.
Socceroos will face Turkey in the cup opening
Meanwhile, Turkey ended a 24-year wait to qualify for the World Cup by beating Kosovo 1-0 in the play-off final on Tuesday, sealing its return to football’s biggest stage for the first time since 2002.
Forward Kerem Aktürkoğlu scored the only goal in the 53rd minute by turning the ball from close range to Orkun Kökçü’s shot after Kenan Yıldız’s shot from the left.
That means Türkiye’s opening match against the Socceroos in Group D alongside Australia, the USA and Paraguay will be at BC Place in Vancouver on June 13.
Turkey, ranked 25th in the world rankings, has fallen short in qualifying over the last two decades and has been under pressure as coach Vincenzo Montella manages a squad full of emerging talent and experienced international players.
For Kosovo, ranked 79th and playing in front of a sold-out crowd, the defeat ended a remarkable run that had seen them on the verge of a historic debut in a major competition less than a decade after joining FIFA and UEFA.
Elsewhere, Sweden beat Poland 3-2 to book their ticket to the World Cup, with Viktor Gyokeres attacking two minutes from time in a fierce clash in Stockholm. The Swedes will be in Group F at the World Cup for the first time since 2018, along with the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.
The two remaining World Cup intercontinental play-off spots will be decided on Wednesday (AEDT) in matches between DR Congo and Jamaica and Bolivia and Graham Arnold’s Iraq.
via Reuters
