Italy hoping to scale World Cup 'Everest' ahead of Bosnia play-off showdownSandro Tonali's goal against Northern Ireland helped Italy into the World Cup qualification play-off finalMILAN (ITALY) - Italy have one last obstacle standing between them and a return to the World Cup in the shape of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who host the Azzurri on Tuesday in what promises to be a tense qualification play-off final in Zenica. A battling win over Northern Ireland in last week's semi-final did little to ease Italian supporters' fears about missing out on a third straight World Cup, goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean stopping a lacklustre display from turning into another disaster. Coach Gennaro Gattuso called Tuesday's showdown in Zenica "Everest" due to the weight of expectation on his shoulders to guide Italy back to the world's biggest football tournament after 12 years away. A group of players, most prominently full-back Federico Dimarco, were filmed fist-pumping in celebration when Kerim Alajbegovic shot Bosnia's winning spot-kick in Cardiff. - 'No disrespect' -The controversy even caused former Italy goalkeeper Dino Zoff, a World Cup winner in 1982, to criticise the current team for making their task in Bosnia more difficult than it needs to be.

Source: Bangkok Post March 31, 2026 02:05 UTC