Gianluigi Donnarumma has spoken out after Italy’s disastrous World Cup play-off defeat to North Macedonia.
The 23-year-old Italian shot stopper was heavily criticised by Azzurri fans after reacting slowly to Aleksandar Trajkovski’s 92nd minute outside the box shot, allowing it to creep into the far corner. The result saw Italy fail to qualify for their second consecutive World Cup, a disastrous situation for the Euro 2020 champions.
Writing on his Instagram page today, Donnarumma commented on the defeat to North Macedonia and looked ahead to the future.
“We wanted to participate in the World Cup, to experience the extraordinary emotions that these competitions can give, to give smiles to the Italians who accompanied us a few months ago to the conquest of the European Championship.
“Unfortunately it will not be like that, we are very disappointed and we know how much all Italians are, just like us.
“But we also know that in football, as in life, you have to look ahead and get back in the game. Our task is to bring the national team back to where it deserves to be and to build, step by step, a winning future. Forza Azzurri.”
The 23-year-old Donnarumma has not had an easy season after signing for Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer last summer. He has been forced to share his starting spot with Keylor Navas and some shaky moments for the Azzurri have not gone unnoticed.
Questions have been asked about the Italian goalkeeper after his mistake in PSG’s disastrous Champions League collapse to Real Madrid, and the error in the World Cup play-off defeat has only raised these doubts more.
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he’s another toldo, not Buffon..
not even close…
I’m getting fed up with these egoistic players who don’t even mention their faults after the match as if its not a big deal
If he had said that maybe he could have done better with the goal
It would have given him more respect
Likewise Berardi not mentioning his open goal miss on his Instagram post
I’m really loosing faith with these overpaid footballers
ADMIT to YOUR MISTAKES and APPOLOGISE
Well said ninja players to blame not Mancini Mancini Shud not have kept faith in immobile immobile better retire asap from national team he’s not fit to lace christian vieri boots
Look what happened after the tf to psg, his mentality is getting worst, he is not showing a progress of his potential, instead he is showing regres, he better off going to juve,
This is what happens when you pick money over your career. He went to farmers’ league and doesn’t even play there regularly, therefore he lost his form. This is also Mancini’s fault for picking out of form player – that’s where he failed as a coach.
Donnarumma was at fault in PSG elimination from champions league and now he was at partially fault for Italy elimination from the World Cup.
Shameful!
I said in my post before when the squad was announced: Thankfully there is Sirigu in the squad. He should’ve played, Dollarumma’s career is over, he showed it now on both club and country level in the same month.
Looking for fault it has to be on Mancini, not on the players. Mancini did not adapt his technical approach, his selections, or anything. He just kept staying the course even though the Azzurri have been struggling to score or even win for 9 months. Suffering critical loses like Chiesa and Spina and refusing to adjust the set-up, instead simply slotting in others, demonstrates a serious lack of tactical nuance or sophistication. It is all extremely disappointing.
How is this fault? That was an incredible shot. If the defenders did a better job the shot would not have happened. Also they had 0 goals.
Macedonia had two shots on goal and one of them went in.
He could have done better maybe, but you can’t blame Donnarumma for the defeat.
Look – last summer this guy was crucial in the Euro win. He saved the final two England penalties when it looked all over for Italy. I think that he should leave PSG – and just play for a team that gives him week in, week out football. He can’t be blamed for what happened the other night. Italy haven’t scored a goal for ages.
The North Macedonia shot that went in could have been blocked. It was a lucky goal.
@Smh, Donnarumma was NOT at fault in PSG elimination from champions league. The 1st goal was a foul and should have been called. Where was his defense on the next 2 R.M. goals?
@Mario Teguh, As for Donnarumma being another Toldo. Donnarumma won 2 shoot outs for Italy at the Euro. He was named the best player of the tournament. He’s only 23, more trophies to come.
It’s wrong to blame Donnarumma when the pathetic attack could not score even ONE goal against NORTH MACEDONIA! Same squad would lose 3-0 to Portugal had they gone through.
Donnarumma IS at fault for all of those goals conceded. He’s not FULLY at fault for the loss, but not conceding is still 50% of the game, so he definitely was at fault.
The rest of the fault lies in the attacks of his club and country. There’s no avoiding it. Mancini managed to set up the team to shoot 34 times this match. It’s not his fault that the players on the pitch could not convert, that is on them.
Bottom line we can’t score! This is Macedonia not Germany! WE have no goalscorers. This isn’t the fault of anyone on the pitch or bench the other night!
This is the fault of those who fail to see that of your club teams field every player from every nation accept Italy there will at some inevitable point where you run out of options. That point has now arrived.
The warning signs were beginning to show in 2006 and only became more evident when the most average of players devided Italy and we pinned all our hopes on him, BALOTELLI!!!
The fact that Balotelli was apparently our only hope should have sent shockwaves through Italian football. Instead we carried on and clubs carried on buying from South America, Africa and Eastern Europe, years have now past and here we are. I watch Serie A and some weeks it’s actually possible that the only italian on the pitch is the ref! It is disgraceful. Euros iced the cracks but reality is reality!
This was Macedonia, to lose 0-1 is the shame, we should be scoring 2 or 3 past these teams not blaming our Keeper who in most part is the reason we can call.ourselves European champions. Open your eyes people.
Mancini must stay. Forza Italia
@jez could not have said it better!!!! I’ve been saying that for the last year!!!!!
Italy had 178 shots over the nine qualification matches, which generated an expected goals tally of 20, but they managed to actually score just 13, almost 50 per cent below target.
Jez,
Thank You!
it appears that the goal could have been avoided had Jorgi one of the 3 stooges (Jorgi, Insig, Ciro) chased after him instead of slowing and raising his had for the ref.
Jez-Baggio subbed a 900 pg report to feder and in there was the creation of an academy to address the clinical finishes, we have trouble closing down the goal-I feel the main reason is we panic (Abe & Costella style) when we have the ball like ” Oh my G-d I have the ball, I have the ball what am I gon’na do? That split second panic causes us to fumble the ball, there are other factors but that poise is missing.
Regarding Donna we need to get that boy into Juv or we risk having ourselves a Lenny & Squigy scenario. Donna is turning into a poor mental resilience like what ppls complain about with Dybala.
@Jez – spot on. No better way to say it.
@Jarod you are missing the point a little bit. I love the idea but What good is setting up a finishing school when there are mo Italians in the league to send to it.
Less than 35% of the rosters are Italian. Rosters not starters, that number is even lower. Serie B is just as bad. The Under 21’s played the other day and had more Serie C players on it than ever before. Serie F’ing C!!!!
If Jorginho had scored all those missed penalties back in 2021 we would not be in this position. The blame and shame is on him.