Bosnia and Herzegovina beat Italy on penalties and left them out of the 2026 World Cup
Italy lost on penalties against Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Bilino Polje Stadium, in Zenica, for the UEFA playoff and was left out of World Cup 2026. The match was possible watch live on Disney+ Premium Plan (only for South America).
In regular time, which extended into overtime, the game had ended 1-1. Moise Kean scored the first goal in the 14th minute for Italy, while Haris Tabakovic he equalized in 79 for Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Italy took the lead but suffered the expulsion of Bastoni
Bosnia and Herzegovina shook the tranquility of Italy in less than 3 minutes. After a series of rebounds at the door of the area, Edin Dzeko opened for Esmir Bajraktarevic and he crossed it low on the ground. In the attempt to defend, an Italian defender rejected it along the way but the ball hit Manuel Locatelli and the rebound passed close to the goal, generating the first corner.
The local team arrived again at 6′, with a run by Ermedin Demirovic, who tried from outside the area although he was met with a solid and calm response from Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Italy broke the deadlock at 14′, with a great goal from Moise Kean. After a back pass, goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj felt pressure from Italian-Argentine Mateo Retegui and made a mistake that cost him dearly. The ball, short, was left to Nicolò Barella, who enabled Kean: in the crescent, the scorer with dreadlocks and the number 11 shirt hit it with his open foot and put it, almost with a glove, near the left corner that left the electronic scoreboard 1-0.
At 24′, Esmir Bajraktarevic launched a cross from the right wing and Nikola Katic conspicuously appeared alone inside the area: however, his header to the ground lacked power and was easily resolved by Donnarumma.
In the next play, Retegui received and pivoted at the door of the area, turned and hit it from the right, with a half turn, to demand a good action from Vasilj.
The Bosnians continued to reach three-quarters of the field without too many obstacles, although it was difficult for them to go deeper or find real risk situations. In any case, a tiki taka on the edge of the area led to a cross that Ermedin Demirovic combed, so that the ball dislocated the Italians and finally passed less than 1 meter from the Nazionale goal in the 37th minute.
Shortly before the 41st minute, Alessandro Bastoni saw the red card for cutting off a clear scoring chance, as Amar Memić scored it and was escaping alone on the left, but the Azzurra’s number 21 crossed him with a visible foul.
Bastoni’s expulsion implied the departure of Mateo Retegui, born in Argentina, since the Italian coaching staff decided to replace him with Federico Gatti to maintain defensive solidity and give up offensive power.
From the action of the red came a cross that Nikola Katic headed into the area, although, once again, a Bosnian header arrived without the firepower to worry Donnarumma. The same thing happened, although with a little more scare, already in added time, when Memić connected in the air and the ball passed near the visitors’ right corner.
Bosnia and Herzegovina tied and the match went to extra time
Before the start of the second half, Bosnia and Herzegovina sent Kerim Alajbegovic and Benjamin Tahirovic onto the field in place of Sead Kolasinac and Ivan Sunjic. For his part, Marco Palestra entered Italy to replace Matteo Politano.
Beyond the modifications, little changed in terms of the approach. The local team continued searching with its good footing to project itself and Italy built a wall in the background. In that scenario, Kerim Alajbegovic was the first to look for the goal, 5′ into the second half, with a right foot that the Italian goalkeeper managed to deflect to the right side.
With the Azzurra totally resigned to playing against, Moise Kean had a golden opportunity to start breaking history, but he failed when he already had the jewel almost in his hands. The very fast Italian striker intercepted a ball and started in his field. Despite the fact that two Bosnians ran him in his entire race of almost 50 meters, he arrived with an advantage for the one-on-one with the goalkeeper. However, when he stepped on the line of the area, he looked for the goal and the ball just went over the crossbar.
Bosnia and Herzegovina had equality almost in their hands, but Donnarumma denied it with a huge intervention. The mobile Kerim Alajbegovic swung and touched Benjamin Tahirovic, who sought to surprise with a low shot at the near post. Purely on reflex, the giant Nazionale goalkeeper flew towards the left upright and managed to deflect it into the corner to avoid the 1-1 score.
A little later, Italy had another chance coming out in transition. In an offensive position, Marco Palestra touched back towards Francesco Pio Esposito and he, who had entered a few minutes ago, hit him with a right foot that just went over the crossbar.
In a match that turned back and forth, the Azzurra had found more spaces. But even so, it was Bosnia that won the prize for so many fruitless searches.
At 33′, Amar Dedić overflowed and launched a past cross that Edin Dzeko connected with great power. In an acrobatic way, Donnarumma managed to rebound, almost getting inside the goal, but Haris Tabakovic managed to push her and made it 1-1 that seemed much fairer according to what was observed on the playing field.
Donnarumma, who had a very solid performance, became a figure 4′ from the end of the game, when he managed to deflect a powerful overhead header from Ermedin Demirovic that forced the goalkeeper to take it, with a gigantic effort, over his left post.
Thus, with those pendulous sensations and on the limit, regulation time closed. Bosnia and Herzegovina dominated much of the match and deserved better luck, but Italy, which enjoyed the gigantic figure of Donnarumma in its goal, had chances to finish it off on the counterattack, after having led 1-0. Everything would be defined, then, in extra time or penalties.
Extra time maintained the result
At 12′ of the first half of extra time, Italy had a great chance, because Francesco Pio Esposito took the spear and escaped towards the opposing goal. However, Tarik Muharemovic appeared to sweep him in the crescent and see the yellow card, while the entire Azzurra asked for the red.
Three minutes later, perhaps in the best moment of the Nazionale, Nikola Vasilj dressed as a hero. Palestra escaped from the right and launched a very wide cross that Pio Esposito, from a very tight angle, headed in. Hanging in the air, the Bosnian goalkeeper managed to close the paths and managed to take it to the corner to maintain equality.
Pio Esposito, at that point the most dangerous in Italy by far, had another chance in the 2nd minute of the second half of extra time. If it didn’t end up in the net, it was because Tarik Muharemovic dove headfirst to the ground to block that ball, which ended up in the corner.
In one of the last moments of extra time, Benjamin Tahirovic sought to surprise from mid-range, from outside the area, although the ball passed very close to the left upright of the Italian goal. With Bosnia playing in search of imbalance, the French referee Clément Turpin declared the end of the game and made way for penalties. Heads or tails.
The penalty shootout between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy, for a place in the 2026 World Cup
Benjamin Tahirović opened the series with a low cross forehand that made it 1-0.
Francesco Pio Esposito hit the first Italian shot very low and the ball went high, over the crossbar.
Haris Tabakovic, who had scored the goal in the match, opened his right foot and put it in the upper left corner: 2-0 on penalties.
Sandro Tonali hit him with a right cross, and made it 1-2.
The young Kerim Alajbegovic made a splash, took advantage of the fact that the goalkeeper dived to the left and hit the opposite corner.
Bryan Cristante hit him hard, from the right, and the ball crashed against the crossbar, so that Italy was 1-3.
Esmir Bajraktarevic hit the left post with his left foot, and Donnarumma could not deflect it, closing the final 4-1 on penalties and decreeing Italy’s third consecutive absence from the World Cup.
