Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma blasted his team’s performance as the Azzurri suffered a comprehensive defeat to Norway to begin their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign in dismal fashion.
The PSG shot stopper, who last week won the Champions League with the Ligue 1 side, was between the sticks as Italy fell to a 3-0 loss in Oslo on Friday in their opening match of the qualifying campaign.
First-half goals from Alexander Sorloth, Antonio Nusa and Erling Haaland secured a memorable win for the hosts, while for the visitors, the result served as a painful reminder of their recent World Cup woes.
Despite being crowned European Champions in 2021, the Azzurri have not reached the finals of a World Cup in more than decade.
Defeat in Oslo. #Azzurri #VivoAzzurro pic.twitter.com/Yg72rxBljr
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@Azzurri_En) June 6, 2025
The last time they graced international football’s showpiece event was the 2014 tournament in Brazil, where they were eliminated alongside England in the group stages.
It has become something of a recurring point of embarrassment for the four-time world champions, but in a group also containing Israel, Estonia and Moldova, Italy will still be favourites to qualify for next summer’s tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
But for Donnarumma, the performance and result fell far below the standards expected of Luciano Spalletti’s side.
“I have no words,” Donnarumma said after the match. “We need to take note of the performance tonight and improve.
“Our fans don’t deserve this. We need to examine our conscience, we need to come out of these nights together.
“We have to find the strength because we’re Italy. These types of matches are not acceptable, everyone has to take responsibility. We have to be more united than ever, we need it.”
Meanwhile, Norway, boasting something of a golden generation of talent, continue their charge towards qualification and what would be their first World Cup finals appearance since 1998.
The Scandinavian nation have picked up maximum points from their opening three games, scoring three or more goals in each match.
They travel to Estonia on Monday while Italy host Moldova at Mapei Stadium, the joint home of Serie B sides U.S. Sassuolo and A.C. Reggiana.
