On top of the Azzurri, a few of the most recognizable Serie A players will not participate in the 2022 World Cup following Tuesday’s results. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sweden lost two-nil to Poland in the playoff final. Victor Osimhen and Nigeria will miss out too, and the same goes for multiple South American internationals.
The Milan ace played just a few minutes off the bench yesterday. He will conclude his career with no goals in the biggest competition. He has featured in five matches between the 2002 and the 2006 editions. Sweden bowed out in the Round of 16 in both instances. They did not qualify in 2010 and 2014. The striker was not part of the squad in Russia in 2018 due to a hiatus from the national team.
Osimhen will not be present in Qatar either, as Ghana bested Nigeria. Senegal and Kalidou Koulibaly topped Egypt and Mohamed Salah on penalty kicks. Algeria and Ismael Bennacer were beaten by Cameroon. Morocco, which features Sofyan Amrabat, and Tunisia round out the African representatives.
Multiple Serie A players were unable to punch their ticket to the World Cup out of the South American bracket as well. Colombia and Chile finished 6th and 7th in the standings. David Ospina, Juan Cuadrado, Alexis Sanchez, Arturo Vidal, and Erick Pulgar will stay home during the winter. Instead, Benevento’s Gianluca Lapadula and Peru grabbed the 5th spot. They will face either Australia or the United Arab Emirates in the playoff. Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Ecuador qualified directly.