Italy has gone from winning the European Championship to failing to qualify for the World Cup in just eight months. (More Football News)
In a rapid and stunning fall from grace, the Azzurri were upset by N📖orth Macedonia൩ in a 1-0 loss that headlined a night of drama in the European qualifying playoffs on Thursday.
Ita⛎ly will miss out on back-to-back World Cups for the first time in the national team’s storied history, having also failed to 🔯get to the tournament in 2018.
It was only in July that Roberto Mancini and his players were celebrating winning Euro 2020 at Wembley Stadium, supposedly completing Italian soccer’s redemption 🌠story.
On Thursday, there were tears of a different kind, and a general feeling of disbelief inside the Stadio Renzo 🦂Barbera in Palermo.
“Just as last July was the best thing I experienc💝ed at a professional level, this is the greatest disappointment,” Mancini said. “Soccer is like that, sometimes incredible things h🌱appen.”
The winner for North Macedonia, which hasn’t played at the World Cup since gaining independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, came in the second minute o𒁃f stoppage time from Aleksandar Trajkovski’s low shot into the corner from outside the area.
It sparked wild scenes of jubilation 🔜among the North Macedonian players, who also beat Ge🌺rmany away almost a year ago to the day.
Standing in their way in Tuesday’s playoff final will be another of Europe’s leading soccer nations, Portugal, which beat Turkey 3-1 to keep alive Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes😼 of appearing in what is likely to be his final World Cup.
MISSED PENALTY
From a commanding position a✅t 2-0, Portugal nearly saw its lead disappear after conceding a goal to Burak Yılmaz in the 65th and then a penalty with five minutes remaining at the Es🧔tádio do Dragão.
Yilmaz’s spot kick sailed over the crossbar, though𝔍, meaning th💖e Portuguese were able to avoid another late implosion like in November when they let in a 90th-minute goal against Serbia to drop into the playoffs.
Portugal went on to score again in stoppage time, through substitute Matheus Nunes. Otávio and Diogo Jota had scored the first-▨half goals for the hosts, who will start as big favorites a🍸gainst North Macedonia.
Roℱnaldo is hoping to reach a 10th straight major to💖urnament.
BALE BRILLIANCE
Ronaldo’s former teammate at Rܫeal Madrid, Gareth Bale, could also be at the World Cup after inspiring Wales to a 2-1 win over Austria and leaving his country one victory away from a first appearance at the tournament since 1958.
Bale scored both of Wales’ goals at Cardiff City ๊Stadium, a sensational free kick into the top corner in the 25th and ꧟a powerful shot on the turn in the 51st.
His record goal tal♏ly for Wales moved t♐o 38 and he continues to deliver inspirational performances for his country, at a time when his club career has stagnated in his ninth season at Madrid.
Wales will host either Scotland or Ukraine in the playoff fiওnal in June. Their semifinal match was postponed until that month as a result of Russia’sജ invasion of Ukraine.
IBRAHIMOVIC’S DREAM ALIVE
Ro🎉bin Quaison🤪 kept alive Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s hopes of playing in another World Cup for Sweden.
With the suspended Ibrahi♐movic watching on, Quaison came off the bench and scored in the 110th minute as Sweden beat the Czech Republic 1-0 after extra time to advance to the final in the other qualify𒆙ing bracket.
Sweden will travel to play Poland on Tuesday for a🧸 spot in the tournament in Qatar.
Poland received a byeꦫ to the playoff final after its scheduled opponent, Russia, was thrown out of qualifying following the war in🗹 Ukraine.
