March 25, 2022, 01:03 PM
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Months after becoming the European champion, Italy shocked the world when it failed to qualify for the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup.
European champions Italy miss out on the World Cup for the second time in a row. #WCQ pic.twitter.com/qT6oXnBhhj
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) March 24, 2022
Lost 1-0 to North Macedonia
On Mar. 25 (Singapore time), Italy lost 1-0 to North Macedonia in the World Cup playoff semi-final.
Macedonian winger Aleksandar Trajkovski broke the deadlock at stoppage time after firing the ball into the back of the net.
https://twitter.com/_GoalFootball_/status/1507138755555205123
This is the first time Italy has lost a World Cup qualifier match at home.
Italy had never lost a World Cup qualifier at home in their history 😧 pic.twitter.com/I78QVFcXcw
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) March 24, 2022
Second consecutive World Cup miss for Italy
This is also the second consecutive time Italy has failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The country, which had been world champion four times, had missed a spot in the 2018 World Cup in Russia after losing to Sweden in the playoffs.
Heartbreak for Italy 💔 pic.twitter.com/ZQvGV3UA0c
— ESPN+ (@ESPNPlus) March 24, 2022
North Macedonia, which is ranked 60 places below Italy in the FIFA rankings, will now face Portugal in the playoff final, with a chance of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
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Top image via UEFA Euro/Twitter.
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