Italy suffered a painful blow on Tuesday night, failing to qualify for their third straight World Cup after losing to Bosnia-Herzegovina in a dramatic penalty shootout. 

The four-time champions, once a dominant force in world soccer, fell 4-1 in penalties after a 1-1 draw following extra time, with Esmir Bajraktarevic sealing the victory.

The match turned against Italy when Alessandro Bastoni received a red card before halftime, leaving the team a man down. Bosnia-Herzegovina capitalised, with Haris Tabakovic levelling the score in the 79th minute after Moise Kean had given Italy an early lead in the 15th. Italy’s struggle to return to the World Cup continues, having previously missed out in 2018 to Sweden and again in 2022 to North Macedonia. Bosnia-Herzegovina now heads to Group B, opening against Canada and later facing Qatar and Switzerland.