Italy’s long World Cup drought continues after a 4-1 penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in their playoff final.
The match in Zenica ended 1-1 after regular time, with Moise Kean scoring early for Italy. However, Alessandro Bastoni was sent off just before halftime, giving Bosnia a crucial numerical advantage.
Bosnia equalized via Haris Tabakovic in the 79th minute, and despite penalties from Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante going wide, the hosts converted all four kicks.
Italy had last qualified for the World Cup in 2014, while Bosnia reached the 2014 tournament only once before.
The decisive shootout saw Esmir Bajraktarevic score the winning kick, sending Bosnia into the World Cup finals for the first time since 2014.