Alessandro Bastoni and the most bitter birthday
Disastrous evening for Italy, eliminated from the World Cup for the third consecutive edition. The knockout on penalties against Bosnia, in the playoff final played in Zenica, unleashes criticism involving the entire Azzurri system, from the federation down to the players. The key moment came already in the first half, with the expulsion of Alessandro Bastoni, when the Azzurri were leading 1-0 thanks to a great goal by Moise Kean. From a match that seemed to be under control, it turned into an increasingly complicated situation: outnumbered, Italy suffered and was caught up in the final minutes of regulation time. For the defender, who will turn 27 on April 13, it will not be easy to reset.
Without energy, the team then succumbs to penalties. Mistakes by Esposito and Cristante led to the final 5-2 for Bosnia, sanctioning another heavy disappointment. For Bastoni, it is a particularly delicate period. In recent weeks, the defender has been going through a difficult phase: from the controversy following the Derby d’Italia to the disappointment with the national team, he ended up at the center of criticism.
After the defeat, he and his wife Camilla were targeted on social media with insults and threats, following the elimination of the team led by Gennaro Gattuso from the 2026 World Cup. The Inter central arrives already from a complicated moment, between the simulation against Juventus that caused much discussion and an injury that has limited his performance in recent matches.
Everything had started right after Inter-Juve, a match of very high tension in which Bastoni had been the protagonist of a much disputed episode, between refereeing decisions and reactions on social media. His apology had not been enough to extinguish the controversy, and in several stadiums he was greeted by booing.
The hardest blow, however, came with the Italy jersey. His elimination from the World Cup also bears his imprint, especially for his expulsion against Bosnia at a decisive moment. An intervention dictated by the eagerness and the attempt to make up for it, but that left the team in ten at the most delicate moment.
“One has to wonder how a defender like Bastoni could commit such a naive foul at the edge of the area, but the responsibility is not only his,” Fulvio Collovati commented. Today Bastoni is in the crosshairs: he is being blamed for lack of lucidity in decisive moments and overconfidence, limitations that at these levels can cost very dearly.
