The penalty shoot-out between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy on Tuesday night was not without its controversies as goalkeepers Nikola Vasilj and Gianluigi Donnarumma clashed after the first spot kicks were taken. Here’s why.
Italy, who were reduced to 10 men shortly before half-time in their World Cup play-off final against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday night, held out for a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of action in Zenica, but missed out on a spot at the final tournament for a third cycle in a row after falling short on penalties.
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Players of Italy show their dejection of Italy during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match against Bosnia and Herzegovina at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
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Pio Esposito missed Italy’s first, Bryan Cristante hit the crossbar from the third, and as Bosnia had hit the net with all of their first four attempts, Italy’s World Cup dreams came crashing down once again.
Why did the goalkeepers clash during Bosnia vs. Italy penalties?
ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Gianluigi Donnarumma reacts after the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)
After both sides had taken their first penalties, Bosnia stopper Vasilj and Italy’s Donnarumma were seen arguing behind the net, which needed two officials to step in and resulted in a yellow card being shown to Vasilj.
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As was explained by SportItalia reporter Tancredi Palmeri, Donnarumma’s ‘cheat sheet’, which told him where to dive for each Bosnian penalty, was the main reason behind the clash of the two goalkeepers.
Donnarumma’s notes showed a list of 13 Bosnia and Herzegovina players, their expected placement of their penalty kicks and additional notes for Donnarumma, such as to ‘wait’ or whether or not he should dive at full stretch.
There have been conflicting reports over the clash of the two goalkeepers during the shoot-out, though. Some reports in Italy claim that it was Vasilj who tried to interfere with Donnarumma’s notes, which would explain why it was the Italian who instigated the incident and why Vasilj was shown a yellow card, but other outlets, including Der Spiegel in Germany, suggest that it was Donnarumma who had tried to ‘steal’ Vasilj’s notes.