Italy misses 3rd straight World Cup after shootout loss to Bosnia

Italy's World Cup nightmare continues.

The Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive cycle, losing Tuesday's European playoff final 4-1 on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina to extend their previously unfathomable drought.

Italy, a four-time World Cup champion, hasn't appeared in the tournament since 2014.

"I don't think the boys deserved to suffer such a blow, for the performance, the effort, and the heart that they showed tonight ... I'm proud of the boys," Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso told reporters after the match, according to Agence France-Presse.

"It's difficult to digest."

Tuesday's match in Zenica finished tied at one apiece after 120 tense minutes.

Italy, which beat Northern Ireland at home last week to reach the playoff final, took an early first-half lead through Moise Kean's precise curling strike.

But Gattuso's team was reduced to 10 men after a 41st-minute red card to Alessandro Bastoni. The Inter Milan defender was sent off for chopping down Amar Memic with a wild tackle that left referee Clement Turpin with no choice but to brandish a straight red, much to the delight of the crowd.

Despite being camped deep in its own half as Bosnia applied waves of constant pressure, Italy largely did well to limit the home team's openings.

But the Italians, who squandered multiple scoring chances that might have put the game away in the second half - including a clear breakaway for Kean - couldn't hold out until the final whistle, eventually conceding a scrappy equalizer to substitute Haris Tabakovic in the 79th minute after one of Bosnia's numerous crosses finally created chaos inside the penalty area.

Italy, furious that Tarik Muharemovic was not sent off in extra time for taking down Marco Palestra as the full-back was trying to race through on goal, managed to withstand Bosnia's continued onslaught to send the match to a penalty shootout.

It quickly went sideways from there, though.

Youngster Pio Esposito blasted his penalty over the net with Italy's first attempt, and Bryan Cristante later smashed his effort off the crossbar before Esmir Bajraktarevic slotted the decisive spot-kick under Gianluigi Donnarumma to spark wild celebrations inside the Bilino Polje Stadium.

Bosnia, which also beat Wales in a shootout in its playoff semifinal last week, converted all four of its spot-kicks Tuesday. The squad, led by 40-year-old captain Edin Dzeko, will appear in the World Cup for only the second time, and first since 2014. Bosnia will slot into Group B at this summer's event alongside co-host Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland.

Italy, meanwhile, will have to try and rebuild yet again following another stunning - and humiliating - failure that highlights just how far the former football powerhouse has fallen.

The Italians also flopped in the qualifying playoff stage in each of the last two World Cup cycles, falling to Sweden in 2018 before a shocking loss, at home, to North Macedonia four years ago.