Italy fails to qualify for the World Cup
The Italian national team's knot with the playoffs was cemented by its loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties on Tuesday, with the four-time World Cup champions failing to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.
Italy, the world champion four times, most recently in 2006, did not take advantage of its advantage in the first half with a goal scored by Moise Kean after 15 minutes.
Rather, his calculations were complicated by the expulsion of Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni with a direct red card in the 42nd minute.
The Bosnian national team took advantage of its guest's numerical deficiency, scoring the equalizer in the 79th minute through its player Haris Tabakovic.
The match extended for two additional periods, and with the tie continuing, the two teams resorted to penalty kicks, which the Bosnian team decided in their favor by winning 4-1.
Italy's dilemma continued with the playoff stage for the third time in a row after losing to Sweden and then North Macedonia in the qualifying playoff for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
As for the Bosnian national team, it qualified for the World Cup for the second time in its history after first participating in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It will compete in the next edition in Group B alongside Canada, Switzerland and Qatar.
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