Bosnia and Herzegovina eliminated Italy in the European playoff, this Tuesday (31), at the Bilino Polje stadium, and guaranteed the last place in the , which will also include Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
The duel was decided on penalties, with Esposito and Cristante wasting the Italian penalties. Therefore, the Azzurri, four-time world champion, are out of the World Cup for the third consecutive editionwhile the Bosnians return after 12 years.
The Battle of Zenica was as dramatic as it could be, with an Italian goal (by Moise Kean) after a Bosnian mistake, Bastoni sent off at the end of the first half, leaving Italy in trouble, a Bosnian draw in the final stretch, with a goal scored by Tabakovic, extra time and penalties.
To try as much as possible to create a hostile climate, in a region torn apart by wars over the years and in conditions far from ideal. Fans even lit flares in surrounding buildings.
Emotions and drama until the end in Zenica
Despite the challenging atmosphere, Italy managed to open the scoring in the 15th minute, after Barella intercepted a poor pass from goalkeeper Vasilj and rolled the ball for Kean to hit a beautiful shot from outside the area, with no chance for Donnarumma.
But there is no smooth classification when it comes to Italy in the last World Cups. The team’s main defender, Bastoni arrived late with a cart in Memic, in the 40th minute, and received a direct red card for being the last defender.
On the way back to the final stage, Kean had another clear chance for Italy, starting from his own field and, facing Vasilj, finishing over the goal.
But almost 60 minutes with one less was a lot of time for the Azzurri to sustain in a hostile environment. Donnarumma managed to perform two miracles, but, in the 33rd minute, Tabakovic took advantage of a rebound and left everything the same, driving the crowd crazy.
In extra time, apart from Italy’s request for expulsion, the two teams were unable to create many chances and the match had to be decided on penalties. The Bosnians “jumped” the kicks, while the Italians wasted two kicks.
