North Macedonia shock Italy: one of football’s biggest ever upsets? 

European champions will miss out on the Fifa World Cup for the second successive time 

North Macedonia players celebrate their victory over Italy in the World Cup play-off
North Macedonia players celebrate their victory over Italy in the World Cup play-off
(Image credit: Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Italy’s shock 1-0 defeat at home to North Macedonia means the European champions will not appear at this year’s Fifa World Cup. A dramatic finale in the play-off semi-final saw Aleksandar Trajkovski score a last-gasp winner for North Macedonia, who will now play Portugal for a place in Qatar.

Beating England in the Euro 2020 final last summer is “now a bittersweet memory” for the Italian national team, said The Guardian. Like the play-offs in 2018, the Azzurri have failed to qualify for a second successive World Cup finals.

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Mike Starling is the former digital features editor at The Week. He started his career in 2001 in Gloucestershire as a sports reporter and sub-editor and has held various roles as a writer and editor at news, travel and B2B publications. He has spoken at a number of sports business conferences and also worked as a consultant creating sports travel content for tourism boards. International experience includes spells living and working in Dubai, UAE; Brisbane, Australia; and Beirut, Lebanon.