ZENICA, Bosnia-Herzegovina –
Italy coach Gennaro Gattuso was emotional and apologetic after his side suffered a playoff penalty shootout loss in Bosnia on Tuesday, missing out on its third successive World Cup, but he refused to talk about his future.
The Italians, four-time winners and champions as recently as 2006, took an early lead in Zenica, but after going down to 10 men, they were hauled back by Bosnia before penalties sent Gattuso’s side packing.
After suffering defeat at the playoff stage for the last two World Cups, another absence will be hard to take for all involved in Italian football.