Gattuso: Italy must conquer 'Everest' in match against Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Patria) - The coach of the Italian national football team, Gennaro Gattuso, stated last night that his team still has a mountain to climb, given that Bosnia and Herzegovina stands between the Azzurri and the final tournament of the World Cup, AFP reported.

Italy defeated Northern Ireland 2-0 and qualified for the final of the qualifying play-offs, which they will have to play away against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Italy has not been to the World Cup final tournament since being eliminated in the group stage in 2014, and the possibility of a third consecutive absence has heavily burdened the players, coach, and fans.

"We have taken a small step forward, now we have to climb the mountain, Everest," said Gattuso.

"We know a lot is at stake, I think everyone had butterflies in their stomachs today and that's understandable. I had them, Gigi Buffon has them, we all had them."
Italy struggled against Northern Ireland but did not shine against a team largely composed of players from lower leagues.

Goals from Sandro Tonali and Moise Kean were two rare moments of quality in Bergamo.

"Today, the main priority was to win... I wasn't interested in today's performance, just as I'm not interested in the performance in Bosnia," Gattuso added.
"All we needed to do was be aware of the danger and what we have been missing for a long time. And I think we did that very well."