Gennaro Gattuso admitted the team lost confidence after Italy's 1-4 home defeat to Norway, causing them to miss automatic World Cup qualification for another year and forcing them to seek qualification through the playoffs. Previously, in the last two attempts, they failed to reach the finals.
On 17 Nov 2025 GMT+7, Gennaro Gattuso spoke frankly after Italy's national team suffered a 4-1 home defeat to Norway, which caused the Azzurri to miss out on automatic qualification for the 2026 World Cup and face the playoffs for the third consecutive time. In the previous two attempts, Italy never advanced, resulting in back-to-back World Cup qualifying failures in 2018 and 2022.
Although Italy knew their chances of finishing first were nearly impossible, needing a 9-0 win to overturn goal difference over Norway's group, they still hoped at least to win and regain confidence before the playoffs. However, the game turned into a nightmare; after taking an early lead through Francesco Pio Esposito, they conceded four consecutive goals, finishing with a painful defeat—the first under Gattuso's tenure.
Gattuso admitted the situation was "truly worrying" after the team collapsed in the second half.
At the post-match press conference, when asked about Norway's dominant second-half performance, Gattuso stated it was not a fitness issue but rather a complete breakdown in mindset and tactics.
"Just 30 seconds after the break, we immediately gave them a chance, then retreated and played into their hands. It's not a fitness issue but a mistake in timing and decision-making," he said.