Italy’s World Cup hopes ended in heartbreak as they were beaten on penalties by Bosnia and Herzegovina after a tense 1–1 draw.
Moise Kean fired Italy ahead in the first half, capitalising on a defensive error to give Gennaro Gattuso’s side control, but Bosnia found a deserved equaliser after the break through Haris Tabaković.
Despite late chances and extra time, Italy failed to regain their edge, and a costly shootout collapse saw Bosnia prevail, condemning Italy to a third consecutive World Cup absence.
Bosnia and Herzegovina vs Italy began as expected, with Italy controlling possession against a solid Bosnian defence focused on closing gaps. With tall centre-backs, Bosnia aimed to neutralise Italy’s main strength — crosses, particularly from Federico Dimarco. With a compact defensive structure and a confident mid-block press, Bosnia were not afraid to counter-attack, looking to exploit the high line held by Italy’s defence.
The match saw an early counter-attack in the 7th minute through Ermedin Demirović. Although three teammates were well positioned to support the attack, he chose to shoot, but the effort lacked power and was easily saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
In the 14th minute, under high pressure from Bosnia, Riccardo Calafiori passed back to Donnarumma, who launched a long ball towards Mateo Retegui or Moise Kean. Kean got in front of his marker and flicked the ball with the outside of his foot. Nicolò Barella reached it but took a heavy touch, allowing Bosnia to recover possession. Sead Kolašinac passed to Vedad Vasilj, who misplayed a pass under pressure from Retegui, gifting the ball back to Italy. Barella spotted Kean free on the left and played a pass to him, and Kean produced a brilliant one-touch finish from outside the area to open the scoring — 1–0 Italy.
When building from the back under pressure, Italy spread their right centre-back wide into a right-back role. Gianluca Mancini took on this role, with Alessandro Bastoni central and Calafiori alongside him. Dimarco dropped into a left-back position from wing-back, although at times Sandro Tonali covered that role to allow Dimarco more attacking freedom. Matteo Politano operated on the opposite flank. In midfield, Manuel Locatelli positioned himself close to the defence to aid progression, using both short combinations and long passes, while Barella supported transitions. Politano often advanced into a winger role, while if Dimarco stayed high, the midfield formed a line of four behind.
Bosnia pressed in a mid-block, with both forwards stepping up while a midfield line of four supported behind, narrowing space and pressing both centrally and on the flanks. The defensive line sat between the start of the second third and the halfway line.
In the 16th minute, Edin Džeko delivered a cross into the box, where an attacker got ahead of his marker to head towards goal, but the effort went wide.
In the 20th minute, Bosnia created another chance. After Retegui lost possession near the area, the ball fell to Ivan Bašić, who struck from distance, forcing Donnarumma into a strong save.
In the 23rd minute, another cross found Nihad Katić unmarked in the box, but his header lacked power and was comfortably gathered by Donnarumma.
In the 25th minute, Locatelli noticed the lack of pressure and drove forward, playing a precise through ball to Retegui, who controlled, turned and shot, but his effort was too weak to trouble Vasilj.
Defensively, Bosnia formed two compact lines around the edge of the box, creating a solid block of eight players. The forwards stayed higher, ready to apply light pressure but also prepared to break quickly on the counter using direct, vertical play.
When attacking, Italy used two forwards moving fluidly inside the box, while both wing-backs acted as wingers, delivering crosses and cutting inside. The midfield created centrally, and the defensive line held high, with Bastoni and Calafiori stepping forward into attacking phases.
In the 38th minute, a Bosnian player cut inside and crossed from the right with his left foot. Džeko flicked the ball on, and it drifted narrowly past the post, almost equalising.
In the 41st minute, following a goal kick from Donnarumma, Bašić won the aerial duel and directed the ball into the path of Amar Memić. He raced through on goal, and Bastoni was forced into a sliding challenge, bringing him down. The referee awarded a foul and issued a red card, a major blow for Italy.
In the 45th minute, Dženis Bajraktarević delivered the free-kick, leading to a header at the far post, but Donnarumma made a comfortable save.
In the 47th minute, Bosnia, now in control, delivered another deep cross. Memić rose behind Politano and headed narrowly wide.
In the 51st minute, Benjamin Tahirović crossed from Memić’s pass, but Federico Gatti cleared. The ball fell to Alen Alajbegović, who drove inside and unleashed a powerful shot, but Donnarumma again produced a strong save.
With the extra man, Bosnia began to dominate, shifting into a 3-5-2 or 3-3-4 shape. Tahirović operated centrally, with wide players acting as wing-backs, while Amar Dedić and Bajraktarević moved inside to support attacks and combine, often looking for crosses where Bosnia’s aerial strength could be decisive.
After Bastoni’s dismissal, Italy withdrew Retegui, leaving Kean as the lone forward, and introduced Gatti to rebuild the defensive line. Full-backs stayed deeper, with midfielders dropping into the box to maintain numbers against aerial threats. Italy’s focus shifted entirely to protecting their lead.
Despite Bosnia’s control, a poor pass from Bašić in the 60th minute allowed Kean to break through, but he fired over the bar, missing a huge chance.
In the 79th minute, Dedić beat Dimarco and delivered a cross. Džeko’s header was brilliantly saved by Donnarumma, but the rebound fell to Haris Tabaković, who equalised to make it 1–1.
The match went to penalties. Tahirović scored first. Esposito missed, skying his effort. Tabaković converted confidently. Tonali responded with a composed finish. Alajbegović made it 3–1. Bryan Cristante hit the post. Bajraktarević converted the decisive penalty.
Embed from Getty ImagesBosnia and Herzegovina qualified for the 2026 World Cup. They played higher than expected and matched Italy throughout. Italy’s opener came from a goalkeeping error, but they failed to capitalise on further chances — a recurring issue. Bastoni’s red card proved decisive, while Bosnia’s aerial strength nullified Italy’s main attacking weapon. With a numerical advantage, Bosnia dominated the second half and extra time.
Italy now face serious questions. A lack of creativity, especially traditional number 10s, remains a problem, as does their inefficiency in front of goal. While young talents like Pio Esposito show promise, relying on them too early carries risks. The decline of Serie A’s overall level is also a concern. Gattuso has improved mentality and structure, but uncertainty remains over his future.
Another World Cup without Italy — a four-time winner — becomes reality once again. For a nation of such history, this is no longer an exception, but a worrying trend.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Israel Schmidt de Azevedo
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