'Worst Nightmare' Hits Hard in World Cup-Absent Italy: 'This is Simply Shameful'

Italy took a 1-0 lead against Bosnia on Tuesday evening, but things went awry after defender Bastoni received a red card. Following a penalty shootout where Esposito blasted his shot over the bar and Cristante saw his attempt crash against the crossbar, it's the third consecutive failure. After missing the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Italy will also be absent from the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. "This is like the worst nightmare," writes the renowned pink sports newspaper.

Front pages are filled with images of weeping players, and newspapers are scathing in their criticism of the dismal performance. "For the third time in a row, we, as television viewers, will have to watch the World Cup from the couch. The end of the world for our football just keeps going. It's a huge squandered opportunity, because just like against Sweden and North Macedonia, we are once again beaten by an inferior opponent."

According to Gazzetta, the 'ghosts of the past' resurfaced in the players' minds when things went wrong after their 1-0 lead. "We say goodbye to the World Cup, and now the legal proceedings must begin." The head of the Italian Football Federation has already indicated that national coach Gennaro Gattuso doesn't necessarily have to leave after the disappointment. He is 'simply' one of three coaches who failed to qualify, following Roberto Mancini and Luciano Spalletti. He himself offered to step down, but leaves that decision to the board.

The other prominent Italian sports newspaper, Corriere dello Sport, speaks of 'no excuses' for the Italian footballers' failure to achieve their mission of reaching the biggest World Cup ever. "Unfortunately, this is not just a flop; it's the failure of an entire system," the sports newspaper begins. "We are in a structural crisis. This is not the result of a missed chance, a missed red card, or bad luck; it indicates that the foundation, the rules, or the mentality are broken."

Corriere painfully diminishes the victorious Bosnia to emphasize the drama. "There was a time when we beat top players like Zico, Socrates, Passarella, Maradona, Rummenigge, but now we struggle against a forty-year-old (Edin Dzeko, ed.) with many miles on his legs and a group of dedicated volunteers. It became the usual suffering, a feeling that has become part of us in recent years."

Failing to qualify for a World Cup with 48 spots (16 of which are for European countries) is, according to the newspaper, 'simply shameful'. "Everyone who worked on this project cannot tolerate this. Everyone must take responsibility and leave it to others."