Italy miss out on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar
Italy will miss their second World Cup in a row after slumping to a shock 1-0 play-off semi-final defeat to North Macedonia on Thursday.
After winning the European Championship in July last year, Italy were ticked to make an appearance at the global showpiece once again but missed out on automatic qualification in their last game against Switzerland as Jorginho missed an all important penalty.
But they have now paid the price for a disjointed – if previously unbeaten – World Cup qualification campaign during which they finished runners-up to Switzerland in their group, winning four and drawing four of their eight matches.
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As expected, Italy dominated possession on Thursday but failed to penetrate the resolute North Macedonia defence, registering five shots on target from 30 attempts.
The visitors, ranked 67th in the world, are rewarded for their defensive display with a play-off final against Portugal, who beat Turkey 3-1.
North Macedonia are 90 minutes away from reaching consecutive tournaments, having never reached a Euros or World Cup before qualifying for Euro 2020.
Italy, four-time World Cup winners, will watch events in Qatar in November and December from afar.
