Furious Italian media stuck the boot into their football flops after a painful penalty shoot-out defeat to Bosnia & Herzegovina saw them miss out on a THIRD consecutive World Cup.
Rangers cult hero Rino Gattuso, a World Cup winner as player in 2006, fought back tears following the penalty shoot-out defeat at the modest Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica.
Moise Kean fired the visitors into an early lead but Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni was sent off before half-time and Haris Tabakovic levelled late on before the hosts went through to this summer’s tournament where they will meet co-hosts Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
After yet more misery for Italy - whose players were seen celebrating when Bosnia & Herzegovina got through against Wales only for it to come back to bite them - and the media in their homeland didn’t miss them.
Respected outlet La Gazetta della Sport wrote: “It’s not an apocalypse in itself but, given that we’ve been absent from the most important tournament since 2014, the apocalypse continues for our football.
"Like the worst nightmare. We were tempted to return to the World Cup, only to see it taken away on penalties. Mainly due to Bastoni’s sending off before halftime, our own shortcomings, and a couple of controversial decisions by (Clement) Turpin.”
Tuttosport was straight to the point with the headline: “Italian disaster … a total failure,” adding: “A desperate attempt to claw back qualification collapsed miserably on a pitch on the footballing periphery of Europe, the one we’re condemned to by an untenable management, a group of overrated players – the untenable Inter block, from a terrible Bastoni to an equally unwatchable Dimarco, from an impalpable Frattesi to a poor Esposito who isn’t even a stand-in for Kean – and by a narrative tainted by baseless exaltation, arrogance devoid of quality.
"Now we await decisions from the top brass, if not from the sporting, then the political, ones, hoping for a revolution and not the usual, embarrassing defence of seats, positions, salaries, and privileges by those who are killing Italian football.”
Lading football website calciomercato.com wrote: “Goodbye World Cup, once again. Our thoughts are with the young people who have never seen Italy participate, but also with the older ones who will never see another Italian World Cup. Our thoughts are with all who cheer for the Italian national team without being rewarded. Italy ends in tears, crying more about the referee’s (possible) errors than their own. Mistakes by everyone, without exception. Mistakes that should lead to mass resignations, because what continues to happen around the national team and Italian football in general is too bad.”
Emotional Gattuso, who spent 18 months at Ibrox after joining from Perugia as a teenager, said: “Today the boys didn't deserve a beating like this. We were left with 10 players, we had three decent chances and they barely troubled us. I'm sorry, this is football and I'm proud of my boys. It hurts, because we needed it for us, for all of Italy and for our movement. A blow that's difficult to digest.
“I have been in the world of football for years, sometimes I have rejoiced and today I take a beating. It's hard to digest, they surprised me too for the heart they put into it. We're talking for the umpteenth time that we don't go to the World Cup. I apologise if I didn't make it, but the boys impressed me today."
Napoli defender Leonardo Spinazzola: “I still can’t believe we went out like this, after a game with 10 men. It’s sad to see the young people cry. There’s no point in talking, the disappointment is truly enormous. Was it the last chance for any of us? For me, definitely, it’s a shame for all of Italy.”
No comments:
Post a Comment