Bosnia’s 14-year-old hero reveals why he couldn’t save Donnarumma’s penalties
Express newspaper
08/04/2026 11:45
Gianluigi Donnarumma had a strong reaction in the 2026 World Cup play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and an unexpected moment during the penalty shootout became the protagonist of the night.
He was the protagonist of an episode that received a lot of attention: those who watched the match reported that the Italian goalkeeper was “very angry” and could not concentrate during the penalty shootout — a situation that ultimately helped the Bosnian team secure its place in the World Cup.
The protagonist of this moment was 14-year-old Afan Cizmic, always positioned as a ball receiver at the Bilino Polje stadium in Zenica, writes “Tuttomercatoweb”, reports “Gazeta Express”.
He came to the spotlight after taking from goalkeeper Donnarumma a sheet of important notes about the Bosnian players’ penalties, which the Italian goalkeeper kept close to him to help him during the penalty “lottery”.
In an interview with “La Gazzetta dello Sport”, Cizmic recalled that during the penalty shootout he saw the sheet next to a towel and took it without thinking much about the consequences or the judgments of others.
The young man said that Donnarumma started shouting at one of the stadium employees, thinking the problem came from someone else, and then tried to pull the Bosnian Vasilj’s card — which forced the referee to briefly stop the game.
For Cizmic, the Italian goalkeeper’s fault was his own emotional reaction in a chaotic moment:
“He was very disappointed and angry. He took the towel and when he saw that the sheet was no longer there, he looked for it, but he couldn’t find it,” the boy said in the interview.
The 14-year-old boy said he felt happy about what he had done, explaining that he had taken the paper and hidden it unintentionally to help Bosnia.
Afan also said that he sincerely wants to be a part of the rules and the sport, and that he is still a fan of the rules — despite the many reactions after his episode.
In Bosnia, his video has gone viral and many fans have started a campaign on social media with the call:
“Let’s take him to the World Cup!”, as the event was seen as a decisive moment that influenced the final result and eliminated Italy from the tournament.
Despite all the media attacks and numerous reactions, Cizmic made it clear that he had not spoken to Donnarumma after the match, although there were also arguments with the Bosnian players and fans present in the stadium.
An unexpected and dramatic situation that now looks more like a “legendary” episode of the play-off quarterfinals than a simple sporting defeat — and one that will be discussed at length for a long time. /Express newspaper