Super Eagles legend Sunday Oliseh has attributed Italy’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup to lack of talent.
It was heartbreak once again for Italy after they lost 4-1 on penalties to Bosnia & Herzegovina, in Tuesday’s European qualifying play-off.
The game, which saw Italy play with 10 men from the second half, was decided via penalty shootout after regulation and extra-time ended 1-1.
The last time the four-time World Cup winner featured at the tournament was in 2014 in Brazil, where they crashed out in the first round.
Reacting after the defeat to Bosnia, Oliseh wrote on his X handle:”Watching this World Cup playoff final for Italy is a nightmare. It is genuinely heartbreaking to see what happens to a great football nation when they miss back-to-back World Cups. Seeing them eliminated by Bosnia and missing out for a third straight time is more than just a bad game—it is a total disaster for the soul of Italian football.
“The team looks broken. The players have no confidence, they look like they’ve forgotten how to play at the top level, and the talent just isn’t there anymore. Having played in Italy myself, I can tell you I have never seen an Italian team play this poorly in my entire life. I feel so sad for my Italian friends back in Italy who have to live through this. It is alarming and deeply sad.”
As a Super Eagles player, Oliseh faced Italy in the round of 16 at the 1994 World Cup which the Azzurris won 2-1 despite playing with 10 men, thanks a to a Roberto Baguio double.
