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Italy faced a humiliating exit from the race to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup after losing to North Macedonia 1-0 on Thursday (March 24). The visitors produced a remarkable display to set up a date with Portugal on Tuesday.
The Euro 2020 champions came up short in front of thousands of home fans at the Stadio Renzo Barbera in Palermo. North Macedonia's Aleksandar Trajkovski scored the winning goal at his old stomping ground in the second minute of injury time.
Italy got off to a solid start and displayed urgency and determination from the get-go. They won most of the duels on the pitch and limited the North Macedonian players inside their own half for the better part of the first half.
They had loads of chances in the first half (16). However, a well-drilled North Macedonian defense refused to budge and denied them the goal with well-timed interceptions, clearances, and blocks.
North Macedonia pulled one of the biggest upsets in recent history and found the back of the net with just their second shot on target. As Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#5 Italy fail to qualify for back-to-back FIFA World Cup finals for the first time in history
Everyone in the football community thought Italy would have to fight for a place in the 2022 World Cup finals against Portugal on Tuesday in an epic matchup.
While the 2016 Euro champions secured their place in the playoffs final, Italy, the Euro 2020 winners, came up short.
The four-time world champions were the better side on paper, and their stats also indicated their on-field dominance. However, they lacked the final touch throughout the game.
Italy completed 488 passes in the 90 minutes, while North Macedonia completed 235. While the Italians took a total of 32 shots in the game, the North Macedonians took only 4. Roberto Mancini's men recorded 64% possession during the match, while Blagoja Milevski's side had 35% possession.
North Macedonia prepared for an onslaught in their defensive third and just waited patiently for an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow.
Trajkovski's goal was simple and direct football at its best. Stole Dimitrievski's goal kick was directed into Trajkovski's path by Bojan Miovski, and the striker caught Gianluigi Donnarumma with a ferocious strike from the edge of the box.
The Azzurri failed to qualify for the finals for the second time in a row, a first in their glorious history. However, what's more concerning is that they couldn't even make it to the playoffs final.
#4 North Macedonia played to their strengths
North Macedonia played smartly against Italy. It seemed like they were on the backfoot for the entirety of the 90 minutes. However, they let the Italians run around with the ball and tire themselves out so that they could pounce in the dying minutes of the game.
Blagoja Milevski was aware that his side were no match for the skills and finesse of the Italian team, so he worked very hard on his defense. His defenders were instructed not to stray too far beyond their positions and were rarely outwitted by the Italian attackers.
North Macedonia made 16 blocks during the game, with Visar Musliu making some particularly remarkable ones. This included a last-ditch block when Domenico Berardi had possession in front of goal in the second half.
While they were overrun by the hosts at every other place on the pitch, North Macedonia were rock-solid in their box and earned a historic win.
#3 Italy's front three failed to make the most of their chances
It would be an understatement to say that Italy failed to make the most of their chances against North Macedonia.
The hosts had a total of 32 shots in the game, with only five of them on target. As many as 16 shots were blocked by North Macedonia.
Chances were being created left and right by the hosts. However, their front three did not have a good day at the office.
Domenico Berardi is usually a highly reliable finisher but missed one big chance in the game.
In the 29th minute, Stole Dimitrievski's miskick gave away possession to the Sassuolo winger right at the edge of the box. With an empty net to slot the ball in, he chose finesse over power, and his slow, grounded shot was saved by a full-stretch Dimitrievski.
In the second half, he controlled Marco Verratti's lobbed pass just six yards out but was denied by a well-timed block.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile were toothless, and their threat was effectively neutralized by the visiting side. They both managed just one shot on target apiece.
In the end, the hosts came away with nothing to show for after a dominant display, and the front three should pick up some of the slack for it.
#2 North Macedonia pick up a narrow win but have a lot to work out before they face Portugal
North Macedonia took one step towards their first-ever qualification for the FIFA World Cup, but their performance against Italy wasn't free of flaws. The visitors gave away possession cheaply and quite often in dangerous positions. They were only saved by Berardi's poor finishing.
Most of their long balls were easily read and intercepted by the Italian midfielders. They could not create enough chances to trouble the goalkeeper for the majority of the game and were predictable on the counter-attack.
Their defense put in a brilliant shift tonight, but sitting too deep might not work against Portugal, who have a completely different attacking style from Italy.
#1 Italy did not have the strongest starting XI for the game, and that cost them the World Cup spot
Italy started with two young center-halves, Alessandro Bastoni and Gianluca Mancini, in the game. They missed the leadership and passion of the seasoned duo of Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci, though the former came on from the bench in the second half.
In attack, the directness of Federico Chiesa was sorely missed. The 24-year-old is recovering from an ACL injury he picked up in Juventus' 4-3 comeback win over AS Roma in January.
Lorenzo Insigne, Domenico Berardi, and Ciro Immobile failed to break through a stubborn North Macedonia defense.
Roberto Mancini trusted Immobile to be the lone striker, but the 32-year-old's lack of pace and involvement in the buildup play hurt their chances. Joao Pedro, who can play in a deeper role up front, could've been a better option against the visitors, who played a deep defensive line.
Gianluigi Donnarumma has struggled for form with Paris Saint-Germain. He was caught out by Trajkovski's driven strike and was a bit too slow to react.
Marco Verratti was the standout player for Italy and was untouchable in midfield. Unfortunately, his teammates just didn't match his frequency tonight.
