The Italians almost had a total disaster. The Italians barely escaped total disaster. The Italians had a close approach to total disaster. The Italians were in danger of total disaster. They did not HAVE total disaster. They may not have had ANY problem at all. They were a short distance away from total disaster, but they avoided it. This is total different: The Italians had an almost total disaster.

I can try to answer this. In this case, "come" is part of the phrase "come close" which means "approach without actually touching/achieving." For example, a boat can "come close" to the shore or you can "come close" to hitting another car. You can also "come close" to getting a job or winning a contest. Whatever the situation, to "come close" means getting close without achieving. For the Italians to "come close" to total disaster, it means that they were approaching disaster but avoided it. I hope that doesn't make it more confusing!

come close phrase of close It means : almost achieve or do. "he came close to calling the President a liar" ------------- source : google