Italy will again miss out on participation at a World Cup after falling to a 1-0 defeat to North Macedonia in Palermo on Thursday evening.
The Azzurri hadn’t failed to qualify for a World Cup in since the 1950s prior to falling short of making the 2018 World Cup, and they’re now set to miss out for the second consecutive tournament in Qatar this winter.
Roberto Mancini’s selection raised eyebrows to begin with, having selected a number of out-of-form players and overlooking others. Chances fell the hosts’ way but they were wasteful and made to pay when Aleksandar Trajkovski fired in from outside the box in the 93rd minute.