Ahead of Italy’s dramatic exit from the World Cup playoff final against Bosnia and Herzegovina, unusual scenes unfolded during the penalty shootout involving both goalkeepers.
Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was seen tampering with a notecard belonging to Nikola Vasilj, the opposing goalkeeper, just as Italy’s first penalty taker, Pio Esposito, stepped up and struck the ball over the crossbar.
The cheat sheet, which reportedly contained information on all Italian penalty takers and their preferred shot directions, was visibly damaged afterwards. Donnarumma had apparently attempted to tear the piece of paper, but his goalkeeping gloves seemed to hinder his efforts.
Commentators immediately highlighted the 27-year-old’s unsportsmanlike conduct, questioning if Donnarumma had ripped the note and noting that he had evidently reviewed it himself.
When Vasilj realized what had happened to his preparation notes, he became enraged and immediately confronted his counterpart. Referee Clement Turpin intervened, issuing a yellow card to Vasilj for dissent, while Donnarumma, who had already received a warning earlier, faced no further consequences for the incident.
A prominent national sports publication in Bosnia and Herzegovina harshly criticized the Italian keeper, stating, «This guy is a disgrace to football: Donnarumma’s unprecedented and unfair move in the penalty shootout!»
Donnarumma narrowly avoided multiple red card incidents.
However, the Italian camp presented a different version of events. They claimed that Donnarumma’s own notes, detailing Bosnian penalty takers and their preferences, were first taken from the ground, possibly by a ball boy. According to this narrative, Donnarumma then tampered with Vasilj’s notes in an act of perceived reciprocity. A photo of Donnarumma’s supposedly missing notes was later shared to support this claim.
Regardless of the sequence, it was notable that Donnarumma remained on the field at all. Following Alessandro Bastoni’s red card in the 41st minute, Donnarumma had a confrontation with opponent Amar Dedic, which escalated into a minor headbutt.
Donnarumma was only shown a yellow card in the 81st minute, shortly after Haris Tabakovic scored the equalizer. The exact reason for this booking was not clear from the TV footage. Furthermore, after the final whistle, Donnarumma was again central to a verbal altercation with Edin Dzeko, who was by then wearing a shoulder bandage, likely a consequence of the earlier note-related dispute.
Ultimately, none of these incidents changed the outcome. Italy lost 2-5 in the penalty shootout, with Donnarumma failing to save any of the four penalties. On Italy’s side, besides Esposito, Bryan Cristante also missed, his shot hitting the underside of the crossbar and bouncing clearly before the line. This defeat marks the third consecutive World Cup missed by the Squadra Azzurra!