PALERMO – Italy, the reigning European champions, will miss the World Cup for the second time after losing to North Macedonia in a thrilling stoppage-time goal on Thursday, while Portugal, Wales, and Sweden all advanced to the qualification play-off finals.

Italy, the four-time World Cup champions, were startled in Palermo when Aleksandar Trajkovski, who used to play club football in the Sicilian city, scored in the second minute of injury time to give North Macedonia a 1-0 victory.

Italy will miss the World Cup in Qatar for the second time after failing to qualify for the 2018 edition in Russia after losing in a play-off against Sweden.

That was a terrible experience for a country that had previously qualified for every tournament since 1958, and their defeat is all the more astounding given that they were just nine months ago proclaimed European champions.

That triumph came during a world-record 37-game unbeaten run for Roberto Mancini’s side, but four draws in their final five qualifiers last October saw them finish second in their group behind Switzerland, exposing them to the perils of the play-offs once more.

Captain Giorgio Chiellini told RAI, “It’s hard to understand, it’s such a great disappointment.”

“Since September, we’ve made mistakes and paid the price.” “We’re in a state of disarray.”

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