A tearful Gianluigi Buffon quit international soccer as four-time champions Italy sensationally missed out on their first FIFA World Cup finals in 60 years after a playoff defeat to Sweden.
Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura also said he would consider his future after the Azzuri on Monday drew 0-0 in the second leg of their tie with Sweden, who qualified 1-0 on aggregate.
Distraught Italian fans reacted with shock and disbelief while the Italian media called it an “apocalypse” for the team, who last failed to qualify for the 1958 World Cup and have played every other edition apart from the inaugural tournament in 1930.
“I’m not sorry for myself, but all of Italian football, because we failed at something, which also means something on a social level,” an emotional Buffon said as he confirmed his retirement.
The 39-year-old goalkeeper, who lifted the 2006 World Cup in Germany, had been hoping to compete in a record sixth World Cup.
Buffon, who has 175 international caps, had already announced that the World Cup finals in Russia next year would be his last.
However, Ventura made no announcement about his position, despite failing to lead the 1934, 1938, 1982 and 2006 winners to their 19th World Cup.
Italian fans were struggling to come to terms with the prospect of a World Cup without their national team.
Rome resident Enrico Doddi summed up the national disappointment, saying: “You cannot have a good World Cup without Italy.”
The match at Milan’s San Siro witnessed a generational shift for Italy, with Buffon and fellow 2006 veterans Andrea Barzagli and Daniele De Rossi all quitting the team, while Giorgio Chiellini also hung up his Azzurri jersey.
“The era of four or five veterans comes to a close, the one of the hungry young players coming through begins and that’s how it should be,” said Ventura, who took over from Chelsea coach Antonio Conte last year with a contract until June 2020.
Italy dominated possession, but struggled to create enough clear-cut chances, as Sweden secured a first appearance at the finals since 2006 courtesy of Jakob Johansson’s first-leg strike in Stockholm.
Ventura had made changes from Friday’s defeat, with Brazil-born Jorginho making his Italy debut and Alessandro Florenzi and Manolo Gabbiadini also handed starts, although in-form SSC Napoli winger Lorenzo Insigne was again left on the bench.
Buffon even came up for two corners in a final desperate gamble, but Italy fell short, leading to damning headlines in the Italian media.
“Italy, this is the apocalypse,” ran a headline on the Web site of sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Wasted chances, a bit of bad luck, but zero goals in 180 minutes against the Swedes, who will go to Russia,” the newspaper said.
Corriere dello Sport said it would be painful for the country to be on the sidelines when the World Cup kicks off in Russia in June.
“It is an intolerable football shame, an indelible stain,” the newspaper said. “It is over. Apocalypse, tragedy, catastrophe.”
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