At a Glance:
- Italy lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties on Tuesday night.
- Gli Azzuri have now failed to qualify for three World Cups in a row.
- Italian media were not happy with Riccardo Calafiori’s performance.
Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori played the full 120 minutes as Italy lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties on Tuesday night in Zenica, subsequently failing to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Calafiori helped Gli Azzuri beat Northern Ireland on Thursday, setting up this qualification showdown with Bosnia. Named in Gennaro Gattuso’s starting eleven again, the 23-year-old contributed to a disastrous night for the Italians, which saw them fail to qualify for international football’s showpiece tournament for the third time in a row.
Moise Kean gave Italy the lead early on, expertly curling beyond Nikola Vailj after a mistake from the home team’s defence. The game then turned shortly before half-time when Alessandro Bastoni was sent off for bringing down Amar Memic.
Bosnia equalised through Haris Tabakovic’s tap-in late in the second half, before the Eastern European side secured their place in North America by winning the shootout.
🚨BREAKING: Riccardo Calafiori will get a break this summer as he will not be at the World Cup.
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) March 31, 2026
Italy are out. pic.twitter.com/Tb7HJV4mLP
Italian media react to Riccardo Calafiori’s performance vs Bosnia
Calafiori has been excellent this season for Arsenal, although Piero Hincapie has seemingly leapfrogged the Italian in the pecking order in recent months. The former Bologna man’s inability to remain fit and available has cost him, and playing 210 minutes in the space of a few days won’t have been ideal preparation for him ahead of the run-in.
Not only will these minutes take their toll on him physically, but the emotional exhaustion caused by this significant upset could affect him psychologically. Italy’s media was, unsurprisingly, not forgiving of Calafiori and his teammates.
Il Gazzettino awarded Calafiori a 5/10, writing: “Always great to watch, but in games like this, he needs that extra bit of grit that sometimes seems to be lacking. He struggles when the game becomes a bullfight.”
Meanwhile, Quotidiano Sportivo also weren’t impressed with the Arsenal defender, handing him a 5.5 out of ten.
“A few slip-ups: he faces problems and can’t perform as he should,” they wrote.
Elswehere, Calcio Mercato argued that the game didn’t suit Calafiori’s rambunctious style: “Today isn’t the game for overlapping and pushing. It was a tough, complex match.”
Riccardo Calafiori’s statistics vs Bosnia
The consensus on Calafiori’s performance may have been somewhat harsh. While Italian media weren’t likely to praise any of Gattuso’s players after such a disastrous night, the defenders largely did their job, barring Bastoni.
Italy played with ten men for over 75 minutes, with Kean their only real out-ball. Thus, it was a matter of sitting deep, defending and looking to keep hold of the lead that they had for much of the game.
| Riccardo Calafiori’s statistics vs Bosnia | |
| Minutes Played | 120 |
| Touches | 51 |
| Defensive Contributions | 9 |
| Tackles | 1 |
| Accurate Passes | 27/34 (79%) |
| Ground Duels Won | 4/5 (80%) |
| Interceptions | 3 |
They did this relatively effectively until the late equaliser, with Bosnia limited to several pot-shots, but few clear-cut chances. The home team amassed 30 shots over the 120 minutes, but just 1.83 expected goals.
Calafiori did his part, soaking up and absorbing pressure by diligently defending his box. He wasn’t able to offer Italy anything in possession, although that was the case for the entirety of Gli Azzuri’s starting eleven and five substitutes.
If anything, Gattuso should face the brunt of the criticism for leaning into Italy’s traditional defensive instincts too much, completely sacrificing the team’s attack after the sending off.
