Italy woke up angry and disillusioned on Wednesday after the national team missed out on the World Cup for the third time in a row by losing a play-off to Bosnia, prolonging a sporting nightmare for the soccer-mad country.
"The World Cup curse," said the front page of Italy's main daily Corriere della Sera, calling for rebuilding in a country that has produced some of the game's greatest players but has won only one match at the finals since lifting the trophy for the fourth time in 2006.
Headlines in La Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport, the country's two main sports newspapers, both said "We're all staying at home", in reference to another summer without a World Cup.
Fans in Rome were left stunned after Italy suffered a 4-1 penalty shootout loss to Bosnia on Tuesday following a 1-1 draw, their third play-off defeat in a row after losing to Sweden and North Macedonia.
"Everything went badly from the start of the match. The team wasn't good, players out of form coming in and playing (anyway)… it makes no sense. Honestly, I'm shocked," said Davide Caldaretta, who watched the game at a city pub.
"The Azzurri" last qualified for the World Cup finals in 2014, where Bosnia made their only previous appearance at the tournament. The Balkan team will play in Group B this year with co-hosts Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
The defeat sparked outrage across the country, with political parties calling on Italian Soccer Federation (FIGC) President Gabriele Gravina to resign.
"It is an unacceptable disgrace. Italian football needs a complete overhaul, starting with the resignation of Gabriele Gravina," the League Party, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's coalition, wrote on Instagram.
Gravina said an assessment of his position would be made at a federal council meeting scheduled to take place next week.
Italy went down to 10 men in the 42nd minute with Alessandro Bastoni punished for a late last-man tackle, a key turning point in the match with Italy leading at the time.
"(We feel) really upset and disappointed. Even when you're let down you always hold out hope. And this is the third time in a row," said Melanie Cardillo.
In sharp contrast Bosnians woke with heavy heads and light hearts.
Celebrations went late into the night on Tuesday after teenager Esmir Bajraktarevic squeezed his penalty past Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to secure a shock victory over the four-times world champions and a place in this year's global showpiece tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Crowds rushed on to the streets in towns and cities across the Balkan country, lighting flares into the night sky. Long lines of cars, covered by flags, formed slow processions as their horns blared.
"We are overjoyed," said Ida Pacarez-Kadric, a 38-year-old dentist in Sarajevo on Wednesday. "This does not happen so often, and in the sea of sad events and problems this country is facing this is a light which will bring us a lot of joy and energy."
The win gave Bosnians respite after a difficult period of political division and unrest in a country still experiencing the drawn-out effects of ethnic conflict in the 1990s.
None of that was on show after the game as the country relished the prospect of only the team's second World Cup appearance, 12 years after the first.
"I am from Bosnia, take me to America," goes the song by the Bosnian rock band Dubioza Kolektiv, which has become an unofficial anthem of the qualifying campaign.
Players were singing it when they interrupted the post-match press conference of their coach Sergej Barbarez, showering him with water and jumping on the table.
Bosnia are in World Cup Group B with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.
"This is what we needed, they are the only ones that brought some happiness to this state - our boys, our future hope," said Senad, 26, a salesman in a car dealership.
