Italy Misses World Cup Qualification for Third Time

Italy's national football team has failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive tournament, following a 4-1 defeat in a penalty shootout against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The match saw Italy initially take the lead in the 15th minute when Moise Kean capitalized on a misplaced pass from Bosnia's goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj.

However, Italy's situation worsened when defender Alessandro Bastoni was sent off for a foul on Bosnia's Amar Memic, leaving Italy with ten men. Despite goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma's efforts to save Edin Dzeko's header, Bosnia equalized in the 79th minute through a rebound from a cross by Hari Tabakov.

The match proceeded to extra time, and Italy's hopes were ultimately extinguished in the penalty shootout, where players Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their spot kicks. This marks Italy's absence from the World Cup since the 2018 tournament in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar.