All 48 teams headed to North America for this summer's World Cup have finally been decided following the most recent round of playoffs, and what a wild ride it has been. Each of the Czech Republic, DR Congo, and Iraq ended lengthy waits to punch their tickets to football's biggest party, but the biggest talking point came in Bosnia.
Italy Miss the World Cup Again
Four-time champions Italy headed to Sarajevo knowing that victory would end their 12-year wait to venture back onto the grandest stage, and all seemed to be going according to plan when Fiorentina striker Moise Kean gave the Azzurri an early lead with a stunning finish from the edge of the box. Then, their plans were torn up on the stroke of half-time when star defender Alessandro Bastoni was given a straight red card for a cynical foul on Amar Memic, with the winger clean through on goal. Gennaro Gattuso's men would cling on to their slender one-goal advantage up until the 79th minute, when Haris Tabaković bundled home from close range to force extra time.
The additional period would end goalless, despite good chances for both teams, and in the resulting penalty shootout, the Italians were the clear favorites courtesy of giant goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The Manchester City shot stopper was Herculean five years ago at the European Championships as his saves saw Italy beat Spain in the semifinals and England in the final to claim the trophy. This time around, however, he was unable to recreate that magic, and misses from Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante saw Bosnia prevail.
Online betting sites were already pricing up a presumed Italian victory, listing them as a 33/1 shot to win the entire thing. Instead, they won't even feature in North America this summer, with their conqueror, Bosnia, heading across the Atlantic in their place. Those same bookies now list Edin Dzeko and Co. as a mighty 250/1 underdog, with the below betting calculator showing just how far apart those two prices are, and thus, the gulf in class between them.
All figures calculated using screenshots from this betting tool: https://thunderpick.io/betting-calculators/betting-odds-calculator
But with the qualifiers now in the history books and all 48 participants this summer determined, let's take a look at who the true MVPs of the playoffs were.
Viktor Gyökeres
Sweden headed into the playoffs under a cloud of uncertainty. The Blågult didn't win a single game in qualifying, finishing dead last in their group, prompting the sacking of manager Jon Dahl Tomasson. Their stellar displays in the Nations League secured them a spot in the playoffs, but even so, all was not right.
Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter — a man who made his name in Sweden after leading Östersund from the fourth tier of Swedish football to the Europa League — was brought in with a simple mandate: lead his adopted country to the World Cup. He inherited one of the finest strike forces on the planet in the form of Alexander Isak and Viktor Gyökeres; however, with the former of that menacing duo out with a broken leg, all hopes were pinned on the latter. And boy did he deliver.
In the semifinals against Ukraine, Gyökeres put his country on his back, netting a stunning hat trick to secure a resounding 3-1 victory on neutral territory in Valencia. That set up a home final against Robert Lewandowski's Poland, and with the contest finely poised at 2-2 heading into the dying embers, the stage was set for Gyökeres to become a hero. With time ticking away, the ball would rattle back off the post and find the Arsenal striker all alone in the area. He duly slotted home his fourth goal in two playoff games and sent Sweden to the World Cup after eight years away.
Bosnia's Penalty Takers
If Bosnia were to reach the World Cup for the first time since 2014, they would have to do it the hard way. Firstly, they were tasked with heading to Wales in the semifinals and somehow getting a result despite being huge underdogs. The task got off to a disastrous start when Welsh winger Daniel James rifled home from 30 yards out to put the Red Dragons on the brink. But with just four minutes remaining, veteran 40-year-old striker Eden Dzeko would nod home to force extra time and eventually penalties.
With the pressure on at a raucous Cardiff City Stadium, Bosnia would keep their cool. Despite an early miss from Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirović, each of Haris Tabaković, Ivan Bašić, and Amir Hadziahmetovic would find the back of the net. Misses from Brennan Johnson and Neco Williams allowed teenager Kerim Alajbegovic to become the hero, and he duly slotted away to hand Bosnia the win.
