Italy’s head coach Jennaro Gattuso has reacted with deep frustration and emotion after missing another chance to take a place in the World Cup.
After losing the tiebreaker in the play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina, he apologized to the team on behalf of the team.
In an interview with Italian media after the match, Gattuso said his team was not worthy of the defeat. Even after becoming a team of ten men, the players continued to fight and created multiple chances. In the end, luck was not for them.
Although Italy was ahead at the start of the game, at the end of the first half, a player saw a red card and left the field, changing the course of the match. Using the numerical advantage, Bosnia increases the pressure and eventually backs the equaliser and takes the match into a tiebreaker. That’s where the visitors won by a 4-1 margin.
Four-time world champion Italy failed to make it to the World Cup for the third time in a row, which is seen as a sign of a deep crisis in the country’s football history.
“It’s very painful. “It was important not only for us, but for the whole of Italy.” He added that he is proud of the efforts of the players, although the results are disappointing.
The Italian coach declined to comment on the matter, despite the controversy over the refereeing. The result of the game is now the main reality.
Gattoso did not want to comment on his future. According to him, the failure of the team and the reality of not getting into the World Cup is more important now than the personal position.