How Italy's two missed penalty kicks, Esmir Bajraktarevic's winner sent Bosnia and Herzegovina to 2026 World Cup
It took a penalty shootout to decide the high-intensity Italy vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina World Cup qualifying matchup on Tuesday.
How Italy's two missed penalty kicks, Esmir Bajraktarevic's winner sent Bosnia and Herzegovina to 2026 World Cup originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Bosnia and Herzegovina is heading to the 2026 World Cup courtesy of some drama.
In Tuesday's World Cup 2026 UEFA play-off final, Bosnia officially locked in a spot in this summer's international event by winning a match vs. Italy that featured plenty of tension, including three yellow cards and a red card. The Italians took the early lead, but after being forced to play down a man from the 42nd minute on due to a first-half red card issues to Alessandro Bastoni, Bosnia managed to tie it in the 79th minute and force extra time.
In the end, after Bosnia put up a ton of shots thanks to the man advantage, it came down to a penalty shootout ā and two rough missed kicks from Italy, plus Esmir Bajraktarevic's winning kick, secured Bosnia's shootout advantage and a trip to the World Cup. Here's a look at the penalty shootout kicks that sent Bosnia and Herzegovina to the 2026 World Cup. MORE: How Alessandro Bastoni's red card doomed Italy in another failed World Cup bid Italy missed penalty kicks vs.
Bosnia After Italy took a 1-0 lead earlier in the match, despite a heroic effort from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with 10 saves, a red card wound up coming back to haunt the team ā as did missed penalty kicks later on. Bosnia put up a massive 30-9 advantage in shots over the course of the matchup, including extra time, but was unable to take the lead after Haris Tabakovic tied it at one in the 79th minute. Extra time came and passed with no winner, and a penalty shootout ā with a World Cup bid on the line ā began.