Bastoni ‘in debt to the Italian people’ following World Cup qualification failures

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Alessandro Bastoni admits he is ‘in debt to the Italian people’ following the Azzurri’s World Cup shortcomings, though he has urged patience as Roberto Mancini’s team look to get things right.

Italy failed to qualify for a third straight edition of the World Cup this year, losing on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina following a 1-1 draw in a play-off in March.

Their task was made more difficult in that match by Bastoni being sent off late in the first half, having hacked Amar Memic down when he was racing clear on goal.

Italy are the first former champions to ever miss three straight World Cups, with their latest humiliating failure leading to the dismissal of Gennaro Gattuso and the return of Euro 2020-winning coach Mancini, following a lengthy and frustrating recruitment process.

Mancini’s men started their Nations League campaign with a 2-0 defeat to France last week, but they bounced back with a 4-1 rout of Turkiye on Monday, with Bastoni scoring the opening goal as they roared into a 3-0 lead within 27 minutes.

After that victory, Bastoni reflected on the Bosnia-Herzegovina defeat and admitted he has plenty of work to do to atone for his red card. 

“It was inevitable that my mind would go back to Zenica,” Bastoni told RAI Sport. “I will be in debt to the Italian people for the next four years. 

“When faced with difficult situations, I have always chosen to emerge with my head held high and take my responsibility.

“We hit rock bottom in recent years, but we want to get back on our feet.

“All we ask for is some balance and patience in judging this side, as there are many young players who want to learn.”

— Italy  (@Azzurri_En) September 28, 2026

Italy’s win over Turkiye was their first by three or more goals away from home since November 2019, when they beat Bosnia-Herzogovina 3-0. 

It was also their first win under Mancini in 1,198 days, having overcome the Netherlands 3-2 under him in the Nations League third-place play-off in June 2023, before he called time on his first stint in charge to join Saudi Arabia.

“We are still a young team overall, we have quality and we want to prove what we can do,” Bastoni added, with a trip to France up next on Friday.

“We mustn’t get too over-excited now, we had some peaks last year too, and then saw what happened. It is at least good to feel happy every now and then.”

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