Four-time world champions Italy failed to qualify for a third World Cup in a row after a devastating penalty shootout defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina.
No previous winner of the tournament has missed three consecutive instalments of the competition, after they also failed to reach Russia in 2018 and Qatar 2022.
Pio Esposito – who fired over – and Bryan Cristante – who hit the underside of the crossbar – missed spot-kicks in the shootout after Gennaro Gattuso’s 10 men had held on amid a barrage of Bosnian shots to take the game to penalties.
Bosnia-Herzegovina – and 40-year-old captain Edin Dzeko – have now qualified for just the second time in their history and will face Canada, Qatar and Switzerland in Group B this summer.
But this was a woeful night for Italian football as the four-time winners failed again.
A tearful manager Gennaro Gattuso insisted his future “was not important” after the head of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Gabriele Gravina told reporters he had asked Gattuso to stay.
Gattuso said: “It hurts, because we needed it for us, for all of Italy and for our movement. A blow that’s difficult to digest.
“I would have given up years of my life, money, for us to achieve our goal.”
Gravina insisted he would not step down but admitted Italian football had now reached a “profound crisis”.
Italy led when Moise Kean provided a fine finish from the edge of the area after Nicolo Barella pounced when Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj misplaced a pass in the 15th minute.
But the home side’s hopes of a comeback were enhanced when Italy defender Alessandro Bastoni was sent off for hacking down Amar Memic with the Bosnia winger clean through on goal five minutes before the break.
Italy keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was forced into a string of second-half saves but when he pushed out Edin Dzeko’s header from Amar Dedic’s 79th-minute cross, Haris Tabakovic managed to turn home the rebound to force extra time.
The hosts were then perfect from the spot with Benjamin Tahirovic, Tabakovic, Kerim Alajbegovic and Esmir Bajraktarevic scoring to secure their place in the summer tournament.
“Italian children will see another World Cup without Italy,” said tearful winger Leonardo Spinazzola.
“I still can’t believe that we went out like this, after playing with 10 men. With grit, we took it to penalties, we could have scored three or four goals and it’s really a great disappointment for everyone.”
