Italy suffered another devastating setback as they failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third straight time, while Sweden secured their place with a crucial contribution from Viktor Gyokeres, reports The Evening Standard.
In a dramatic play-off match, Italy drew 1-1 with Bosnia and Herzegovina and were eliminated in a penalty shootout. Moise Kean put Italy ahead early, but the sending-off of Alessandro Bastoni left them defending under pressure. Bosnia equalized late through Haris Tabakovic, forcing extra time.
Italy’s pedigree did not help in the shootout. Francesco Esposito missed the first penalty, and Bryan Cristante’s miss proved decisive as Esmir Bajraktarevic scored the winning spot-kick to send Bosnia through, extending Italy’s prolonged absence from the World Cup and highlighting concerns about their ability to perform in key moments.
Elsewhere, Sweden edged Poland 3-2 in a high-stakes encounter. Anthony Elanga opened the scoring for Sweden, Poland fought back, but Gyokeres’ late goal secured the win and confirmed Sweden’s qualification. Under Graham Potter, the team showed growing confidence and composure in attack.