Twitter explodes after Italy fail to qualify for the 2018 World Cup

Nobody saw this coming, not even Sweden. Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup after they were held to a 0-0 draw by the Scandinavia side at the San Siro on Monday night. Sweden led 1-0 from the first leg and that was the final aggregate scoreline as Janne Andersson's side qualified for the quadrennial event in Russia.

Giampiero Ventura had no answer for the Swedish defence and made some questionable substitutions as the visitors held on despite immense pressure from the Italian side. But in the end, it is the Azzurri who are to blame and will be watching the World Cup from the comfort of their homes.

"The blame is shared equally between everyone. There can't be scapegoats. We win together, lose together." - Gianluigi Buffon

Here's how Twitter reacted to the shock upset.

Italy have almost always qualified for the World Cup. This is the first time in six decades that they haven't.

How often do previous champions miss out on a World Cup spot? It's not the first time.

Italy join a list of top teams who have failed to qualify for the 2018 edition.

But credit where it's due to Sweden too who were resolute in their defending tonight.

But Ventura received a lot of stick for his tactics and substitutions. His strategy to not play Lorenzo Insigne backfired spectacularly.

And tears were shed for Gianluigi Buffon - who will never put on an Azzurri shirt for an official game ever again.

You don't need to know Italian to understand exactly what Buffon was going through after the game.

Of course, it didn't stop trolls from having some fun at their expense...