Southampton: Gabbiadini and Italy fail to qualify for World Cup
By Chris Hughes
Another Southampton star has suffered heartbreak tonight, as Manolo Gabbiadini and Italy lost 1-0 to Sweden over two legs.
It marks the first time since 1958 in which the Italians have failed to qualify for the tournament, despite being winners of the prestigious trophy as recently as 11 years ago.
The Swede’s won the opening leg 1-0 on home soil courtesy of a goal from Jakob Johansson. The defensive-midfielder – who is reportedly being eyed up by Crystal Palace – scored a low volley from outside the box which caught Gianluigi Buffon off guard.
Speaking off the goalkeeper, it means we’re unlikely to see the legendary stopper at another major international tournament, marking a sad end to an otherwise illustrious career with the Azzurri.
For Gabbiadini, to means that the forward will be able to make his first appearance at a World Cup, despite being a fully-fledged international for five years. The former-Napoli man didn’t make the cut three years ago in Brazil.
Gabbiadini was lively for the 63 minutes he was on the pitch during the second leg, incidentally playing up from with a another striker in Ciro Immobile.
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The Southampton man was eventually replaced by the highly-rated Andrea Belotti, who himself couldn’t even break down Sweden’s tough defence, which featured Manchester United new boy Victor Lindelof.
Italy had 21 attempts from open play alone and deserved more from the game, with the away side only having four in total. The Italians registered nearly three times as many passes as their opposition, naturally enjoying the higher share of possession of a result.
However, it was not to be, and manager Gian Ventura has resigned as a result, with it being well over half a century since the Italians failed to at least reach finals of the competition.
Gabbiadini joins captain Steven Davis in sharing play-off heartbreak, with the latter also losing 1-0 on aggregate over two legs to Switzerland. Davis’ Northern Ireland side were inches away from reaching their first finals since 1986.