Gianluigi Donnarumma says he "cried because of the enormous sadness" of not being able to lead Italy to the 2026 World Cup this summer, following their penalty shootout defeat by Bosnia-Herzegovina. Italy have now failed to qualify for three successive World Cups, drawing 1-1 on Tuesday before losing their play-off final 4-1 on penalties, having lost Alessandro Bastoni to a first-half red card. Goalkeeper Donnarumma, 27, made numerous saves in the second half but during the shootout appeared to get into an argument with Bosnia goalkeeper Nikola Vasilj, with reports claiming the Italian captain damaged Vasilj's penalty-takers cheat sheet. He also had to be held back by his team-mates at full-time after trying to confront the celebrating Bosnia players. I cried because of the disappointment of not being able to lead Italy where it deserves to be," Donnarumma wrote on Instagram., external

Source: BBC April 01, 2026 17:06 UTC