Italy Fail To Qualify For FIFA World Cup For Second Consecutive Time

Rome: European Champions Italy failed to qualify for the upcoming FIFA World Cup which is scheduled to be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18. Their elimination from the showpiece event came after their 1-0 loss to minnows North Macedonia in the play-off semi-final match in March 24.

Aleksandar Trajkovski's stoppage time winner for North Macedonia meant that Italy will yet again miss out on the FIFA World Cup after having failed to qualify for the previous edition of the megaevent held in Russia back in 2018.

Things started going downhill for the 4 time World Cup winners ever since they lifted the World Cup trophy in the 2006 edition held in Germany. The Italians had failed to get past the group stage in 2010 as well as in 2014.

The Italians recent record is surely a national embarrassment for a country who has lifted the World Cup trophy four times in their history.

Veteran Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini has confessed that the team was '"destroyed and crushed" after their shocking exit but added that he was proud of the team for giving their best on the field.

"It is clear that we are destroyed and crushed, a great void will remain within us. There is a great disappointment. Even today we played a good game but we couldn't score. From September to today we have made mistakes and we have paid for them," Chiellini further added.

Italy's midfield maestro Marco Veratti said that North Macedonia's winning goal in added time was a "real nightmare" for the European Champions.

"This group had a great chance at the World Cup," he said. "We came from the unbeaten record, so it is difficult to accept what happened tonight. We all know that we have given everything. Now surely it is time to ask ourselves some questions."

"It's hard to say something right now – I don't know what to say," the coach, Roberto Mancini, said. "Last summer was the most beautiful joy, now comes the greatest disappointment. It is not easy to think of other things. I am very sorry for the boys: I love them much more tonight than in July.

"I am the coach, I am the first responsible, the boys are not. They have a great future, they are strong players for the future of the national team. We did not deserve this defeat," Mancini added.

Italy were the runners-up in their qualifying group and Switzerland emerged as the group winners. As a result,  they were consigned to the playoffs and their supporters were furious by the result.

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