ITALY DOWN BAD — THREE STRAIGHT WORLD CUP MISSES AFTER PENALTY DISASTER

Italy’s World Cup curse just won’t quit . The Azzurri are officially out again, missing a third straight tournament after a brutal 4-1 penalty shootout loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina. It actually started well for Italy, with Moise Kean firing them ahead in the 15th minute. But everything flipped when Alessandro Bastoni saw red in the 41st minute, leaving them to grind it out with 10 men for most of the game. They held on for dear life, but Bosnia kept pushing and finally got their moment in the 79th minute. Substitute Tabaković — who had just come on in the 71st minute — delivered a clutch equalizer to send the game into extra time. No winner after 120 minutes, so it came down to penalties… and yeah, it got ugly. Italy completely fumbled it, with Esposito and Cristante missing their kicks as Bosnia calmly sealed a 4-1 shootout win. That’s now three straight World Cups missed (2018, 2022, 2026) — a shocking fall for a football giant. Head coach Gennaro Gattuso didn’t hide the pain after the match: “We did not deserve this. We showed passion, we played with 10 men since minute 40… we are sad, but this is football. I’m proud of my team. We are hurt.” Italy fans? Heartbroken. The drought continues