What do Denmark, Greece and Italy have in common? Well, basically, they’re the only European champions to miss the World Cup following their glorious continental pursuit.It happened with Denmark after their EURO 1992 title; it repeated with Greece, which failed to qualify for the WC 2006; and now with Italy.Macedonian miracle! Trajkovski’s euro goal destroyed European champions in PalermoHowever, there’s a nuance we should not neglect, and it has to do with the importance and the expectations related to Azzuri. Unlike Denmark and Greece – those undisputable underdogs and their sensational achievements, which are considered incidents in the history of the game – this sort of shortcoming is awful for the Italians.Aleksandar Trajkovski puts himself in North Macedonian folklore. 🇲🇰 pic.twitter.com/Xrwgqj1iuQ— Roberto Rojas (@RobertoRojas97) March 24, 2022 They adore football, they bread football, and to be left without two consecutive WC appearances for the nation of such preferences is as excruciating as it gets.If we put their previous displays on the biggest stage under some more scrutiny, we’ll see the three-time world champions have been suffering even before that first major flop during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Precisely, they left out of the 2010 WC and 2014 WC in the group stage, which means their last World Cup knockout stage game was as recently as 2006. Yes, the exact finals against France, which brought Azzurri the world glory after the penalty shootout and that notorious Zidane vs Materazzi incident.2006 – The last time Italy played a knockout stage game at the World Cup.They’ll have to wait until 2026 to play another.20 YEARS. WOW 👀🤯#ITAMKD #WorldCup #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/X4bqbZ2x8K— Owen 👹⚽️ (@MrOwenMUFC) March 24, 2022 “I am proud of my teammates and the whole team. It is clear that we are upset. Now we need a restart. We are emptied and destroyed. We hope you will give us the strength to move forward again. I believe that we will still have Roberto Mancini in the dugout because he gave so much good to us. I hope that we will qualify for the World Cup in four years, ” veteran Giorgio Chiellini said after the defeat. Joao Pedro of Italy reacts during the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifier knockout round play-off match between Italy and North Macedonia at Stadio Comunale Renzo Barbera on March 24, 2022 in Palermo, Italy . (©Claudio Villa/Getty Images)At the same time, the mentioned Mancini was gutted for the loss.”Just as winning the European Championship was the best experience in my life, so this elimination is the biggest disappointment. There is nothing to say except that this is football as well. Something unbelievable has happened.”First of all, we shouldn’t have played playoffs. Roberto Mancini’s Italy…👑 July: Beat England at Wembley to win Euro 2020🤯 March: Fail to make #WorldCup2022 after losing at home to North Macedonia pic.twitter.com/9vR51kWfDS— The Sack Race (@thesackrace) March 24, 2022 “We dominated the group, we only needed a moment to go directly to the World Cup, and it didn’t happen, although we could have verified the WC visa twice before the playoffs. It seems to me that the goal conceded in the 92nd minute is appropriate after everything we have experienced, ” concluded Mancini.FRI: 18.00: (3.45) DR CONGO (2.90) MOROCCO (2.40)Their last night 1-0 loss to North Macedonia was the first one – ok, once more – the first home defeat in the WC qualifiers ever. Wow.
