Italy misses World Cup again as Türkiye ends drought

Italy players react during a penalty shootout during the World Cup qualifying playoff final soccer match between Bosnia and Italy in Zenica, Bosnia. (AP)

ZENICA, Bosnia, April 1 (AP): One of soccer’s historic powers has reached a once-unfathomable low.

Four-time champion Italy failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup after getting beaten in a penalty shootout at 66th-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoffs.

Moise Kean scored early on for Italy, but then Azzurri center back Alessandro Bastoni was sent off with a direct red card before halftime, and Bosnia substitute Haris Tabakovic equalized in the 79th to send the game into extra time at 1-1.

The defeat added more misery for Italy’s once-proud national team after being eliminated by Sweden and North Macedonia, respectively, in the qualifying playoffs for the last two World Cups.

Bosnia won the shootout 4-1 and qualified for the first time since 2014, its only previous appearance.

In the shootout, Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante missed their spot kicks, and U.S.-born Esmir Bajraktarević converted the decisive penalty for Bosnia.

In other European playoff finals, Sweden, Turkey, and the Czech Republic each qualified. Sweden beat Poland 3-2; Turkey beat Kosovo 1-0; and the Czechs beat Denmark in a shootout.

The Azzurri then went on a six-match winning streak before losing again to Norway in November

Italy has a population of nearly 60 million. Bosnia’s population is about 3.5 million.

The combined club salaries of Italy’s players total nearly 1 billion euros ($1.16 billion). Bosnia’s total is a seventh of that.

Bajraktarević, who had the winning penalty, was born in Appleton, Wisconsin. He made his U.S. debut in a January 2024 friendly against Slovenia and then switched affiliation that August.

Viktor Gyokeres has sent Sweden back to the World Cup.

The Arsenal striker scored in the 88th minute to earn the Swedes a 3-2 win over Poland, five days after netting a hat trick in the playoff semifinal victory over Ukraine.

Poland's great Robert Lewandowski, at age 37, was hoping to qualify for what would likely have been his final World Cup.

Former Chelsea and West Ham coach Graham Potter was hired by Sweden last year - initially on a short-term deal - with one goal: to get the team to the World Cup. He has succeeded.

Sweden reached the quarterfinals in its last World Cup appearance in 2018.

Türkiye will be in the United States’ group at the World Cup after winning 1-0 at Kosovo to reach soccer’s biggest stage for the first time since 2002.

The hosts were hoping to qualify for the World Cup for the first time, fewer than 10 years after the national team was out of the international soccer family.

It was in May 2016 that Kosovo and Gibraltar were voted into FIFA as its 210th and 211th member federations. That was eight years after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.

Kosovo had the best chance of an entertaining first half, but Türkiye goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır pulled off a superb one-handed save to push Fisnik Asllani’s strike onto the crossbar.

Türkiye got the breakthrough eight minutes into the second half. Kerem Aktürkoğlu got the finest of touches to ensure Orkun Kökçü’s cross-shot went into the far bottom corner.

Türkiye joins the U.S. in Group D, along with Paraguay and Australia.

The Czech Republic reached its first World Cup since 2006 with a penalty shootout victory over Denmark following a 2-2 draw.

Michal Sadilek converted the winning spotkick in the 3-1 penalty shootout success. It was the Czech Republic’s second straight victory on penalties after also prevailing on spotkicks against Ireland in the semifinal.

The Czech Republic will face co-hosts Mexico, South Africa, and South Korea in Group A.