The sports newspapers in Italy are filled with strong words on Tuesday morning: "apocalypse", "disaster", "shame". The Italian national football team has failed to qualify for the World Cup final tournament for the first time since 1958 after they were held to a goalless draw by Sweden in the second leg of their play-off tie. Sweden had won the first leg 1-0 and they did well to defend that advantage on Italian soil. This is the second time in history that Italy fails to qualify for the World Cup.
Italy dominated the second leg, they had 76% ball possession, but failed to find the back of the net against a resolute Swedish defence. They did have a few chances but their efforts seemed desperate and lacking the cold blood that is sometimes needed in order to convert a scoring chance into a goal. Sweden reach the World Cup for the first time since 2006. Head coach Gianpiero Ventura will most likely be sacked, it's nearly impossible that the Italian FA would keep him in charge after such a result even though he is under contract until 2020.
Italy team captain and legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was in tears after the match and announced his immediate retirement from international football during a post-match TV interview. Buffon said: "It's a shame my last official game coincided with the failure to qualify for the World Cup. Blame is shared equally between everyone. There can't be scapegoats. There is certainly a future for Italian football because we have pride, ability, determination and after bad tumbles, we always find a way to get back on our feet."
Sweden are 75/1 at Bet365 to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
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Comments (1)
sharpe
11/15/17, 10:11:25 AM
It's a big shock really, who could of thought of that... Sweden were in the same group as Bulgaria and I saw they playing really good football despite we defeated...
It's a big shock really, who could of thought of that... Sweden were in the same group as Bulgaria and I saw they playing really good football despite we defeated them 3-2 at home. In my lifetime (and long before that) Italy never missed a big tournament so it's a nightmare for the whole nation and many other fans of course, you could expect they would at least reach the last 8 if they were about to participate.
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