North Macedonia Pull Off Historic Upset, Beat European Champions Italy in World Cup Qualifying Playoff

• North Macedonia made history as they knocked Italy out of the playoffs for a World Cup spot at Qatar 2022
• Italy had over 30 chances to score but only managed to get five on target while Macedonia only had two shots on target
• Italy have failed to qualify for two World Cup tournaments in a row now, for the first time in their history

North Macedonia pulled off an incredible upset as they beat Italy 1-0 in a World Cup Qualifier playoff.

The European champions were stunned by a late goal from Aleksandar Trajkovski and were sent crashing out of the qualifiers.

This is the first time in history that the Italians failed to qualify for two World Cup tournaments in a row. Italy were relentless in the first half as they sought to get the opening goal. How they failed to score at least one goal from their numerous chances can only be put down to poor finishing and a determined North Macedonian defence.

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The North Macedonian side channelled the great warriors of their history as they threw their bodies in front of the ball and defended as if their lives depended on it.

Lorenzo Insigne, Ciro Immobile and Domenico Berardi all had chances to give the Azzurri the lead but could not find the breakthrough. Berardi had the best chance of the game as he found himself staring at an open net. Stole Dimitrievski made a blunder with his clearance, passing the ball straight to Berardi. The player fluffed his shot and put a tame effort on goal which Dimitrievski managed to get back to save.

North Macedonia’s best chance fell to Darko Churlinov who stole the ball at the halfway line and ran towards goal. He didn’t have the legs to Alessandro Florenzi who managed to make a smart tackle to dispossess him.

At the end of the first half, Italy had 16 shots, with only three on target. Macedonia only had one shot on target from one attempt.

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The second half was also a case of one-way traffic as Italy once again pushed for a goal. The Italians were dominant but not deadly. North Macedonia on the other hand seemed to have a player covering every inch of their half as there was always a redshirt in front of every Italian shot. The North Macedonian side never seemed to run out of steam as they were dogged in defence.

With 90 minutes up, five minutes of extra time were added on and that’s when the drama happened. Aleksandar Trajkovski stole the headlines and the victory for North Macedonia as his stunning long-range effort beat Gianluigi Donnarumma. Italy had a last-minute effort which was deflected just wide and North Macedonia hung on for a famous victory.

World Cup Qualifiers: North Macedonia look to make history when they face reigning European champions Italy

Earlier Sports Brief reported that it was crunch time for the Azzurri when they take on North Macedonia in a World Cup Qualifier today. Italy goes into the game as favourites but can’t afford to take the North Macedonian side too lightly.

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The winner of the match will take on the winner of the Portugal versus Turkey game in five days’ time. Italy were forced to go through the play-off route after they finished behind Switzerland in their World Cup qualifying group.

North Macedonia are just two games away from making history. As reported by The Hard Tackle, North Macedonia are two wins away from qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since they gained independence in 1991.