Tonight we are coming perilously close to the end of a one-man dynasty: Gigi Buffon announced earlier this year he would retire at the end of the World Cup, presumably not thinking that he might not even be at it. But the prospect of Italy missing out on a World Cup for the first time since 1958 is very real, as they trailed 1-0 on aggregate heading into tonight's second leg against Sweden in the San Siro.
The famous old crowd is packed with Italian fans tonight, setting aside their relative squabbles about the performances of the national side for a couple of hours to unite in a bid to make it to Russia.
Ahead of the game, the Italian crowd booed the Swedish anthem en masse, to which Buffon reacted with customary diplomacy. He bowed his head and applauded the anthem throughout. Watch it below.
Italian crowd jeering the Swedish national anthem and Buffon applauds it #Legendpic.twitter.com/R30uxrDiR5
— Troll Football Media (@Troll__Footbal) November 13, 2017
