After suffering a shocking defeat to North Macedonia and failing to qualify for the World Cup for the second consecutive time, Italy's dismal World Cup record extends through at least 2026. The European champions faced a painful loss against North Macedonia with a score of 1-0 in the World Cup qualifying playoff on Thursday, marking a major upset as Italy exited the qualifiers and missed out on the Qatar 2022 World Cup, similar to their fate in the 2018 Russia edition.
The poor World Cup record indicates that since Italy won the title in 2006 in Germany, they have not advanced past the knockout stages of the prestigious tournament and have only won one match in the group stages. For a team that has won the World Cup title four times, the tournament has become an omen for Italian fans.
The defeat, with a last-minute goal in the 92nd minute, led to Italy exiting the qualifiers, while North Macedonia now faces Portugal in a decisive match on Tuesday, where the winner will directly qualify for the World Cup scheduled for later this year. After finishing second in their group behind Switzerland, Italy was forced to enter the playoffs, which angered their fanbase, and a strong reaction to the loss is expected.
Roberto Mancini told reporters, "It's hard to talk now; I don’t know what to say. Last summer was joyful (with the European Cup win) and now there’s a major disappointment. It’s not easy to think about other things; I feel sad for the players; I love them today more than I did in July." Mancini added, "I am the coach, and I’m the primary person responsible, not the players. They have a bright future, and it’s a strong group for the future of the national team. We didn’t deserve this loss."
Italy had 32 shots on goal compared to 5 for North Macedonia, but goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski delivered a stellar performance. North Macedonia's coach, Milovan Petrov, referred to the "irony of fate" in his team's late winning goal. He said post-match, "We won against Italy in the Italian way. A goal from two shots on target. I am happy with this win and proud of the players."
