Italy eliminated from World Cup contention with shocking loss to North Macedonia
Italy will miss out on a second consecutive World Cup after a shocking 1-0 loss to North Macedonia in a knockout qualifying match Thursday.
North Macedonia was on the defensive for almost the entire match and controlled only 35 percent of possession. While Italy took 32 shots with five on goal, North Macedonia took only four shots. Italy had 16 corner kicks, and North Macedonia had zero.
But one of the four shots for North Macedonia, which came from Aleksandar Trajkovski, found the back of Italy's net in the 92nd minute to secure the titanic upset.
North Macedonia, a successor state of Yugoslavia, has never made the World Cup since gaining independence in 1991. Its path to the 2022 World Cup is still difficult, though, as North Macedonia will need to beat Portugal next week to secure its spot.
Italy is a four-time World Cup champion, but will miss the tournament for a second consecutive time and only the third time since 1930. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Italy had never lost a World Cup qualifying match at home in team history prior to Thursday.
Portugal — which beat Turkey on Thursday, 3-1 — will meet North Macedonia on Tuesday, March 29.
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