Winners and Losers: Italy miss out on World Cup again as Gyokeres delivers for Sweden

[p][a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/1KHLpMtC4qNqcRkkEw73N5?si=Z5PYmZuPQriG1muhnJYrkA"][b]Listen to an audio version of this article on Spotify here.[/b][/a][/p][h2]Winner: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/gyokeres-viktor/zaBZ1xIk/"]Viktor Gyokeres[/a][/h2][p]Sweden's World Cup qualification campaign was a disaster. Only two draws, only three games with a goal. Gyokeres' achievement in the qualifying group? Nothing. That's why [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ukraine/j1JtDMwo/"]Ukrainian[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/poland/2HzmcynI/"]Polish[/a] fans hoped the trajectory would remain unfavourable for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/sweden/OQyqbHWB/"]Sweden[/a] and its biggest star in the play-offs.[/p][p]It turned out otherwise - the Arsenal striker first bagged three goals against Ukraine, and then the third and most important one against the Poles. The Swedes made it to the play-offs thanks to the Nations League, but came through defensively largely thanks to the 27-year-old's instincts.[/p][embed guid="9c1a7b4b-db05-4b7c-a79f-aa470fd7e7c3" url="https://x.com/svenskfotboll/status/2039102569448944082" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Loser: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a][/h2][p]20 years ago, the Italians were gearing up for a World Cup from which they would return as champions. Who would have expected them to face their worst period ever after conquering Germany? They twice dropped out in the group stage and then did not go to the next two World Cups at all.[/p][p]Pushed out to the play-offs by phenomenal Norway, they had a seemingly easy path. All they had to do was win in Bergamo against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/northern-ireland/lQADNSWu/"]Northern Ireland[/a] and in Zenica against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bosnia-herzegovina/fqe7WYTr/"]Bosnia[/a].[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/italy-hlKvieGH/northern-ireland-lQADNSWu/?mid=v7ssLzeU"]At home they accomplished the task[/a], but the second match resembled a continuation of the curse from the last qualifiers. Even a lead after a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kean-moise/QPclX9Uq/"]Moise Kean[/a] goal failed to seal promotion. First [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/bastoni-alessandro/On4TkPTN/"]Bastoni[/a]'s red card, then a hail of Bosnian shots and Italy's missed opportunities.[/p][p]Finally, the penalty shootout, as three missed kicks handed the victory to Bosnia.[/p][embed guid="345ecc31-8bf9-40a9-9c46-c2f6d73a7dff" url="https://x.com/Azzurri/status/2039094056064606493" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Winner: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/krejci-ladislav/nZ8SVvvE/"]Ladislav Krejci[/a][/h2][p]What a moment the 26-year-old from Rosice in the Czech Republic is experiencing! Ahead of Thursday's semi-final, he became the new captain of the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/czech-republic/6LHwBDGU/"]Czech[/a] national team and fulfilled his role admirably. Against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ireland/Gfyqk1aG/"]Ireland[/a], it was he who secured extra time and then scored the first penalty.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/czech-republic-6LHwBDGU/denmark-0KUdxQVi/?mid=zP64Ye2M"]In the final against Denmark[/a], he struck already in extra time and goes down in history as only the second defender with two goals in the play-offs. What's more, his tireless defensive work with several runs and winning duels kept the Czechs in the game at Letna and was instrumental in their flight to the World Cup finals.[/p][h2]Loser: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lewandowski-robert/MVC8zHZD/"]Robert Lewandowski[/a][/h2][p]Poland seemed on course to end a 96-year period without a win in Sweden. After a goal lost in the final minutes and the final whistle, the players in red couldn't recover for a long time.[/p][p]Robert Lewandowski was alone, the first to approach the fans and many of them were waiting to see what he would do with the captain's armband, which he quickly removed from his shoulder. He walked down last, alone.[/p][p]This was supposed to be his farewell World Cup, but it was a dream he had to say goodbye to. He made this clear by posting "Time to say goodbye" on Instagram after the defeat.[/p][embed guid="2ac771bb-193d-4ef0-96cd-296c94a7934b" url="https://x.com/DeadlineDayLive/status/2039087844942086162" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Winner: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/turkey/QeijuHo5/"]Turkey[/a][/h2][p]There is not a shadow of a surprise in the Turks' promotion to the World Cup - they were favourites in both matches, they were fortunate [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/romania-IaD8jZpU/turkey-7s-QeijuHo5/?mid=2qgnUDXp"]to play at home against [/a][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/romania/IaD8jZpU/"]Romania[/a], and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/kosovo-v1DTPQwI/turkey-7s-QeijuHo5/?mid=xlsPC2Il"]the trip to Kosovo[/a] - although difficult - was won.[/p][p]More amazingly, in both matches, a single goal in the 53rd minute decided the fate of promotion. In Istanbul, it was scored by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kadioglu-ferdi/CtCaHRd7/"]Ferdi Kadioglu[/a] against the Romanians and in Pristina by [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/akturkoglu-muhammed-kerem/UDQZylXj/"]Kerem Akturkoglu[/a] against the Kosovars. Whatever the coincidence, what matters above all is the return to the world stage after an absence of 24 years.[/p][h2]Loser: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a][/h2][p]Although they are guaranteed to play in the FIFA tournament, England end the international window in a mood that is far from what was expected. [b]In the autumn they smashed all their rivals with a goal balance of 19-0 after six games[/b].[/p][p]And in the spring? First, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/valverde-federico/nscfER6B/"]Fede Valverde[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/england-j9N9ZNFA/uruguay-xMk44orG/?mid=IHvvmo8M"]snatched a 1-1 draw[/a] in added time for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uruguay/xMk44orG/"]Uruguay[/a], and on Tuesday night, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/japan/ULXPdOUj/"]Japan[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/england-j9N9ZNFA/japan-ULXPdOUj/?mid=l0V9sPVq"]beat the hosts 1-0[/a] after a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kaoru-mitoma/faIBBRXl/"]Kaoru Mitoma[/a] goal.[/p][p]A total of around 160,000 fans watched both March matches at Wembley and, ahead of the World Cup, they probably have more questions about the Three Lions' form than answers.[/p][embed guid="7d262ff8-534f-4171-9ed7-b5b11251e3d1" url="https://x.com/England/status/2039093496921858338" social-type="twitter" /]