"The boys deserved to qualify for their performance, commitment, and effort." Gennaro Gattuso has tears in his eyes and the look of despair is evident, both for him and for all of Italy, having been eliminated from the World Cup for the third time. "It's disappointing, but this is football: I'm proud of my boys," he says immediately after the penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia, yet another humiliation for the national team in recent times . "If someone hits me with something today, nothing will come out: it hurts, we needed it for ourselves and for our families, for all of Italy and for our movement. A blow like that is hard to swallow."

Gattuso doesn't try to blame referee Turpin's decisions, particularly the missed red card for Muharemović for a foul on Palestra (following Bastoni's 41st-minute red card). "I don't want to talk about the referee, and I don't want to talk about anything, but I think it's unfair today. But that's football: I've been in this world for years, sometimes I've rejoiced, and other times—like today—I've taken a beating. It's hard to swallow this, given the heart they put into it and their attitude. But here we are, and we're talking about not going to the World Cup for the umpteenth time ."

Gattuso takes responsibility: "I personally apologize for not being able to do it, but the lads impressed me." And on his confirmation on the bench: "Today, talking about my future isn't important; the important thing is that we don't go to the World Cup. We're taking our performance seriously, but it hurts, it's a shame."

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