Italy’s national football team faced a significant setback after a 4-1 loss to Norway in Milan, which dashed their hopes of automatic World Cup qualification.
Manuel Locatelli criticised the team’s performance, highlighting their failure to secure a direct spot and expressing disappointment over their fragile display. The defeat means Italy will enter the World Cup qualification play-offs for the third time in a row.
Norway topped Group I with an impeccable record, finishing six points ahead of Italy. In the match, Antonio Nusa, Erling Haaland, and Jorgen Strand Larsen scored in the second half for Norway after Francisco Pio Esposito gave Italy an early lead. Despite dominating the first half with seven shots, Italy only managed one on target. Norway had just one off-target attempt before halftime.
Gennaro Gattuso’s team struggled significantly in the second half. They had eight shots compared to Norway’s 12 but failed to score again despite three being on target. Orjan Nyland’s goalkeeping kept Italy at bay. Locatelli remarked that their qualification was already compromised by a previous 3-0 defeat to Norway in Oslo.
Locatelli emphasised the need for unity and resilience during crucial moments. “We tried to score the second goal, but then were fragile, and this must not happen again,” he told Sky Sport Italia. He stressed that they must improve and take responsibility ahead of March’s play-offs, acknowledging Norway’s high level but insisting Italy should have performed better.
This defeat marked Gattuso’s first since becoming head coach in June, having won his previous five matches. Italy has historically struggled in play-offs, failing to qualify for the World Cup after losing to Sweden in 2018 and North Macedonia in 2022.
Gattuso’s Apology and Reflection
Gattuso apologised to fans for the disappointing result, acknowledging that a nine-goal swing was needed to surpass Norway in Group I standings. “We first and foremost have to apologise to our fans because 4-1 is a heavy result,” he told RAI Sport. He praised their first-half performance as commendable but lamented their collapse after halftime.
The coach noted that Italy lost their shape and started making errors by giving away possession too easily. “We lost our shape… we started to lose the ball a bit too cheaply,” Gattuso explained. He congratulated Norway while expressing determination to rebuild from their initial strong showing.
Italy now faces another challenging path through play-offs as they aim for World Cup qualification once more. The team is hopeful for a change in attitude by March when they will compete again with renewed focus and determination.