Italy have failed to reach the World Cup for the second successive time after a humiliating home defeat by European minnows North Macedonia ensured they will not be in Qatar later this year.
Roberto Mancini's side dominated for the majority of the contest, with a staggering 32 shots on goal over the course of the 90 minutes of their World Cup semi-final play off. However, in what is a damning indictment of the Azzurri's wasteful finishing, just five of them ended up on target.
In stark contrast, visitors North Macedonia had a feeble four efforts in the whole game but most crucially, one of those beat Gianluigi Donnarumma between the sticks in second-half stoppage time. Aleksandar Trajkovski will forever be a hero in his home country after his long-range effort nestled into the bottom corner of the Italian's goal.
The goal sparked wild celebrations from the away dug-out, with seemingly the entire North Macedonia squad running on the pitch to cherish the unforgettable moment that sealed Italy's fate. The result means their last World Cup appearance came in Brazil eight years ago.
In what is an even more eyebrow-raising statistic, the loss means two decades could separate Italy's last World Cup knockout contest and their next. The last came in the form of the 2006 final, while the next could well be the round of 16 in the 2026 edition of the tournament in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
Following one of the darkest night's in Italy's football history - just months after lifting the European Championship, Mancini could not hide his anguish. "I’m more than disappointed, I’ve nothing to say. Something incredible happened tonight. We deserved to win the Euros, now we’ve been really unlucky…but that’s it, that’s the reality. I’m sorry for the players."
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His sentiments were echoed by his captain Giorgio Chiellini, who made a point of declaring he hope the result does not impact the future of the Azzurri manager. "There is great disappointment. We played a good game, we missed the goal. I'm proud of my teammates. We are destroyed. I hope the future is still with Mr. Mancini."
The central-defensive stalwart was also grilled on whether the embarrassing 1-0 loss would mark the last time he ever dons the famous blue shirt again. However, Chiellini was quick to quash that line of questioning - "This is not the time to say whether or not this is my last match in the national team."
Mancini gave an update on his own future, keeping his cards close to his chest when pressed for comment. "We will see. Now I feel too disappointed to speak about my future, we will see", he told Rai Sport. "I’m sure this team has a great future. I’m supporting these players now more than ever."
