Dzeko handball and a second red? Two refereeing calls upset Italy against Bosnia | OneFootball

Italy’s World Cup dreams came crashing down after a penalty shoot-out defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the play-off final on Tuesday evening, but questions have been asked over an Edin Dzeko handball and a potential second red card incident in extra time.

Italy took the lead after 15 minutes thanks to a wonderful first-time finish from Fiorentina’s Moise Kean, but things took a turn for the worse when Inter defender Alessandero Bastoni wiped out Amar Memic and earned a straight red card a few minutes before half-time.

The 10-man Azzurri held on until the 79th minute before conceding, and did well to see the game through until penalties, but after misses from Pio Esposito and Bryan Cristante in the first three kicks of the shoot-out and with Bosnia scoring all of their first four, Italy were eliminated at the World Cup play-off stage for the third tournament cycle in a row.

ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Players of Italy show their dejection of Italy during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)

Which refereeing decisions upset Italy against Bosnia?

The first incident in question is the handball by Dzeko in the build-up to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 79th-minute equaliser against Italy.

A cross had come in from the right flank. Dzeko and Gianluca Mancini were tussling at the back post, and though he had made an attempt to get his head to it, the ball clearly came off the arm of the Bosnian veteran.

Gianluigi Donnarumma saved Dzeko’s attempt, but Haris Tabakovic was on hand to prod home the rebound from point-blank range.

ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: Haris Tabakovic of Bosnia and Herzegovina scores his team’s equalizing goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia & Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)

According to the IFAB laws of the game, it is an offence if a player scores a goal directly from their hand or arm, even if accidental, which means that had Donnarumma let Dzeko’s attempt go in, it would have been ruled out.

However, as Bosnia did not score directly from Dzeko’s handball, and as this was presumably considered an ‘accidental’ handball, the goal was not ruled out.

Should Bosnia have had a man sent off against Italy?

ZENICA, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – MARCH 31: The referee Clèment Turpin shows the red card to Alessandro Bastoni of Italy during the FIFA World Cup 2026 European Qualifiers KO play-offs match between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy at Stadion Bilino Polje on March 31, 2026 in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. (Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images)

Given that Bastoni was sent off in the first half for a last-man challenge, there were suggestions that Bosnia should have also been reduced to 10 men after Sassuolo’s Tariq Muharemovic brought down Marco Palestra in the 12th minute of extra-time.

Sandro Tonali slipped the young full-back in with a perfectly-weighted through ball, but the Cagliari youngster was then wiped out on the edge of the area. Muharemovic was shown a yellow card as a result.

According to the IFAB, there are four key considerations when it comes to the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO). They are: The distance between the offence and the goal, the general direction of play, the likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball and the location and number of defenders.

WROCLAW, POLAND – MARCH 26: Milan and Roma Referee Clement Turpin of France looks on during the UEFA EURO 2024 Play-Offs final match between Ukraine and Iceland at Tarczynski Arena on March 26, 2024 in Wroclaw, Poland. (Photo by Rafal Oleksiewicz/Getty Images)

Referee Clement Turpin was satisfied that Bastoni’s first-half deserved a red card given that he brought down Memic around 10 yards outside the penalty area, slightly to the left of centre of the goal, and that Memic would have retained possession of the ball and would have been clear through one-on-one with Donnarumma otherwise.

As for the Muharemovic challenge on Palestra, the Italy youngster was also running through on goal from a relatively central position, but it is assumed that Muharemovic was not considered the last man as midfielder Dzenis Burnic was also on the scene when the challenge came in.