A teary-eyed Italian coach, Gennaro Gattuso, was emotional and apologetic after his side suffered a heartbreaking loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup playoff match in a penalty shootout on Tuesday, missing out on their third consecutive FIFA World Cup. Gattuso refused to talk about his future, saying it was “not important.” “Today the boys didn’t deserve a beating like this,” an emotional Gattuso told RAI. “We were left with 10 players, we had three decent chances, and they barely troubled us. I’m sorry. This is football, and I’m proud of my boys. It hurts because we needed it for us, for all of Italy, and for our movement. A blow that’s difficult to digest,” he said. Italy suffered a stinging exit from the World Cup qualification race after losing to Bosnia in a tense penalty shootout, 4–1, marking their third consecutive failure to reach the global tournament. Four-time World Cup winners Italy took an early lead in Zenica, but after going down to 10 men, they were hauled back by Bosnia before penalties sent Gattuso’s side packing. Gattuso and Italy were incensed when a foul by Tarik Muharemovic on the edge of the area brought just a yellow card early in extra time, but the manager did not want to talk about refereeing decisions. ALSO READ | Italy’s stunning fall: A footballing empire reduced to ashes after failing to qualify for third consecutive FIFA World Cup “I don’t want to talk about anything, but today it’s unfair. I have been in the world of football for years. Sometimes I have rejoiced, and today I take a beating. It’s hard to digest. They surprised me too, for the heart they put into it. We’re talking for the umpteenth time that we don’t go to the World Cup. I apologize if I didn’t make it, but the boys impressed me today.”Story continues below this ad When Gattuso, who replaced Luciano Spalletti early in the qualification campaign after a defeat to Norway, was asked about his future, he said: “Today talking about my future is not important. It was important to go to the World Cup. We hold onto this performance, but it hurts, and I’m sorry.” Italy had lost out at the playoff stage to miss the last two World Cups, and their last qualification, in 2014, coincided with Bosnia’s only previous appearance. Since lifting the trophy in 2006, Italy have won one game at the World Cup. Bosnia will play in Group B at the World Cup, joining co-hosts Canada, Qatar, and Switzerland.
‘Today talking about my future is not important’: Gattuso puts future aside as Italy suffer third straight World Cup qualification failure
