Italian national team coach Gennaro Gattuso said his squad's 1-4 defeat to Norway in their final Group I match of the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers at the San Siro Stadium, Milan, Monday (17/11) early morning WIB, was embarrassing.
"It was a big defeat. It's a shame, because we played well in the first half, but struggled after half-time," Gattuso said, as quoted on the official website of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) in Jakarta on Monday.
He called Italy's performance poor, especially after Norway scored the first goal. The 47-year-old tactician said his squad panicked, allowing the opposition to score goal after goal.
"The game started badly after they scored the first goal. We panicked, and that shouldn't have happened," said Gattuso.