{"id":611296,"date":"2022-03-25T03:42:31","date_gmt":"2022-03-25T07:42:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=611296"},"modified":"2022-03-25T03:42:31","modified_gmt":"2022-03-25T07:42:31","slug":"italy-crash-out-of-world-cup-play-offs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2022\/03\/25\/italy-crash-out-of-world-cup-play-offs\/","title":{"rendered":"Italy Crash Out of World Cup Play-Offs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Italy crashed out of the World Cup play-offs on Thursday night after suffering a 1-0 loss to North Macedonia in Palermo.<\/span><\/p>\n

It will be the second time in a row the Azzurri<\/em> miss out on the World Cup, after failing to qualify for the 2018 tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n

Unconvincing Italy Lose in World Cup Play-Off Tie<\/h2>\n

European Champions Knocked Out by North Macedonia<\/h3>\n

Despite the great success of winning the European Championship in the summer, Italy have been far from convincing in their World Cup qualifying campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Roberto Mancini\u2019s side finished second behind Switzerland in qualifying. Draws against Northern Ireland and Bulgaria meant that the Azzurri<\/em> had to settle for a World Cup play-off place.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Italy were expected to beat North Macedonia in the play-off semi-final, but a last-minute goal from striker Aleksandar Trajkovski meant that the Macedonians will now face Portugal for a spot at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. <\/span><\/p>\n

F<\/span>rom Hero to Zero – What\u2019s Next For Italy?<\/h3>\n

Italy looked to be back to their best as 2021 came to an end. The Azzurri<\/em> broke the record for the longest unbeaten streak in international football, failing to lose in 37 games.<\/span><\/p>\n

This, along with a successful Euro 2020 campaign<\/a> where they beat the likes of Belgium, Spain and England on their way to winning the trophy, made it seem like the Italians were back to the peak of international football.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Roberto Mancini on his future as Italy head coach: \u201cWe will see. Now I feel too disappointed to speak about my future, we will see\u201d, he told Rai Sport. \ud83d\udd35 #Italy<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure this team has a great future. I\u2019m supporting these players now more than ever\u201d. pic.twitter.com\/bwXAC4uK2f<\/a><\/p>\n

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 24, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n