Gianluigi Donnarumma suffers third successive FIFA World Cup heartbreak with Italy | OneFootball

Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma will not be playing at this summer’s FIFA World Cup after Italy lost on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina on Tuesday night.

Moise Kean’s 15th minute strike gave Gennaro Gattuso’s side a vital advantage but Sergej Barbarez’s men put in a valiant effort to take the all-important World Cup qualifier to extra-time to go on and win 4-1 on penalties.

Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali – who is of transfer interest to Manchester City ahead of the summer window – was the only Italy penalty taker to convert from 12 yards, with Donnarumma also not making a single save among the four strikes he faced.

Kean missed a glorious chance to hand Italy, who went down to 10 men after Alessandro Bastoni’s 41st minute red card, a two-goal lead in the second-half before Bosnia pulled level and went on to knock Italy out of a third consecutive FIFA World Cup campaign.

Donnarumma’s World Cup woes continue

Despite having led his nation to glory at the 2021 European Championship, Donnarumma has never played a FIFA World Cup game and will only be watching his Manchester City teammates across the Atlantic from afar this summer.

The 27-year-old has been a revelation at the Etihad Stadium since joining City from Paris Saint-Germain for £26 million on the final day of the previous summer transfer window.

Donnarumma has managed 14 shutouts in 36 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City so far, with the Blues vying for a domestic treble after bowing out of the UEFA Champions League against Real Madrid for the third year running in March.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola will be hoping that Donnarumma can put his National Team disappointment behind him when he returns to England ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final tie with Liverpool.

Donnarumma’s season so far at Man City

The AC Milan academy graduate was brought in from Manchester City director of football to replace Ederson, who left for Fenerbahce on deadline day last summer and paved the way for the Blues to put the final touches to their acquisition of Donnarumma.

Guardiola and members of Manchester City’s leadership group have waxed lyrical of his impact and how seamlessly the goalkeeper has embedded into life at the Etihad Stadium.

City remain at a nascent stage of their transition under Viana and are set for another busy transfer window as they look to shore up their midfield in anticipation of a series of high-profile exits from the first-team squad.

Italy’s failure to qualify for yet another World Cup campaign will come as great disappointment to their captain Donnarumma but Guardiola will be hoping his number one shot-stopper can use the same as motivation to lead Manchester City to a strong finish to the domestic season.