Thursday April 2nd, 2026 - Round-Robin Day 3 Results (GMT +8)   12:30   New Zealand  1 - 2  Lithuania 16:00   Ukraine  5 - 1  Belgium 19:30   Mexico  0 - 4  Hong Kong   Provisional Standing After Day 3:   1.    9 ----------------- 2.   9 3.   6 4.   3 5.   0 ----------------- 6.   0

The last time this team played well was at Euro 2021 under Mancini, but they 8 months later they lost to Macedonia at home in a 2022 World Cup qualifier play- off at home game... In my opinion, Italy Euro success was thanks to Chiellini and Bonucci's recent big form and Chiesa's tournament of a life. Without them, Italy is simply average team: the 1-4 and 0-3 group defeats to Norway wasn`t a case (under Spalletti, so a good manager, at all). Play-offs, however, are always a lottery in this format – especially when you're playing decisive matches away and also under the pressure of Italy now + Bastoni's red card episode. Such things are decisive. Take the current play-offs: Poland, Denmark and Italy could just as easily have advanced, instead of the Czech Republic, Sweden or Bosnia. Top teams simply don't have to play in these play-offs, why they avoiding the risk of defeat. In groups you have 7-8 home and away matches and no only one- last match chance away

Btw our coach (likely in a couple of days ex-coach as well ) Calzona, not the pizza, Italian himself, presented his 2 cents about Italian failure as well in the press conference after our useless match against Romania. Talk about how nonsensical and pointless this match was    https://sport.aktuality.sk/futbal/clanok/francesco-calzona-reakcia-na-bosna-taliansko-zaspali-sme-2026040100555755775

Was the problem really the coaching staff ? I mean it is 3rd time and in all 3 cases there were different coaches, right ?   Probabyl the issue is somewhere else, I did not know Gattuso and his staff played the matches on the pitch themselves

It's sad that Buffon is tarnishing his legend and the same think is for Gattuso. Ranieri did the right thing by refusing... Who's going to replace Gravina now? Malago, or someone from the football community?

But clueless Gattuso and useless Buffon still didn't, despite both assuring in the last months that they would for sure resign in case of failure.

Gravina announced his resignation after politicians, the entire sports world, and even actors spent an entire day insulting him.   We won’t miss you 

People who compare WC with Olympic games    both have millions of spectators but OG is multi sport , easy to qualify somewhere  sadly not the case of  WC , you miss it you missed it forever 

28 teams instead 24 the next CAN 2028 this trophy of shhht , you can buy it even if you don't qualify 

UEFA has just threatened Euro 2032!