Italy’s Leonardo Spinazzola has voiced profound regret over the Azzurri’s inability to capitalize on “three or four chances” that could have secured victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their World Cup play-off final. He also expressed immense sadness for the countless Italian children who will be denied the experience of watching their national team compete in the final tournament.
For the third consecutive occasion, Italy will be absent from the FIFA World Cup, following a devastating penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Tuesday evening’s playoff final held in Zenica.
The Azzurri initially took a 15th-minute lead courtesy of Moise Kean. However, their situation became significantly more challenging when centre-back Alessandro Bastoni received a straight red card just before halftime. Haris Tabaković subsequently netted the equalizer for Bosnia in the 79th minute.
Despite valiantly holding on with ten men to force the game into a penalty shootout, only Sandro Tonali managed to convert his spot-kick for Italy. Pio Esposito missed the opening penalty, and Bryan Cristante struck the crossbar on the third attempt. With Bosnia converting all four of their penalties, Italy’s hopes were dashed for another four years.
Spinazzola Reflects on Italy’s World Cup Misery
Speaking to RAI Sport after the match, Spinazzola reflected, “Even with 10 men for 90 minutes, we fought tooth and nail to reach penalties, and we still created three or four clear chances to win it.”
He added, “The disappointment is immense for us, for our families, and especially for all the Italian children who won’t get to witness Italy at a World Cup once more. It breaks my heart to see the young players in tears, but I believe they have a brighter future ahead.”
Italy also felt that Bosnia should have been reduced to ten men when Sassuolo’s Tarik Muharemovic made a last-ditch challenge on Marco Palestra in extra-time.
Spinazzola acknowledged the impact of match incidents, stating, “We knew it would be incredibly tough playing with 10 men, yet we still forged several opportunities. There’s no use dwelling on it now; the overwhelming feeling is one of profound disappointment.”
He concluded with a personal note, “This was undoubtedly my final opportunity to participate in a World Cup, and I feel immense sadness for all of Italy.”
