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Italy’s agonising World Cup exile continues after they fell to a 4-1 penalty shootout defeat by Bosnia and Herzegovina in their playoff final on Tuesday following a 1-1 draw, Reuters reported. 

Four-time champions Italy had lost out at the playoff stage to miss the last two World Cups, and their last qualification in 2014 coincided with Bosnia’s only previous appearance. Since lifting the trophy in 2006, Italy have won one game at the finals.

Bosnia will play in Group B at the World Cup, joining co-hosts Canada, Qatar and Switzerland, while Italy will be left with some serious soul-searching to do after yet another failure, according to Reuters. 

The Czech Republic clinched a place at ​this year's World Cup by beating a battling Denmark side 3-1 on penalties in their playoff final after an absorbing encounter in which they led in both normal time and extra time on Tuesday, Reuters reported. 

The hosts were pegged back to 1-1 at the end of 90 minutes and 2-2 after the extra period before Michal Sadilek sent Denmark's Mads Hermansen the wrong way to win the shootout, sending the Czechs to their ​first World Cup since 2006. 

"The story is so beautiful — we’ve made it after 20 years," Sadilek told Czech ​television. "I’ve lost my voice, and I hope to find it soon because I’ll need it for ⁠the celebrations."

England can succeed without Harry Kane but it is easier to win when he is in the team, manager Thomas Tuchel said after his side ​lost limply at home without their injured talismanic captain, Reuters reported. 

Bayern Munich's prolific striker ‌was ruled out of Tuesday's friendly against Japan at Wembley due to an injury in training the day before.

Without him, England offered little up front and lost 1-0 in their last game on home soil ​before the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, according to Reuters. 

Cooper Connolly made a superb unbeaten 72 on his Indian Premier League debut as he guided Punjab Kings to a three-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans, BBC reported. 

Chasing 162, Punjab looked to be cruising to victory at 110-2 at the start of the 12th over.

But the Kings lost four wickets for eight runs to slip to 118-6 as Prasidh Krishna claimed three quick wickets en route to figures of 3-29.

However, Australia all-rounder Connolly batted with measured aggression, hitting five fours and five sixes, to get Punjab over the line with five balls to spare.