Italy to miss World Cup again after loss to North Macedonia

PALERMO, Sicily (AP) — European champion Italy will miss the World Cup. Again. The unthinkable happened in Palermo as the Azzurri were beaten 1-0 by North Macedonia following a last-gasp goal by Aleksandar Trajkovski in their playoff semifinal. It was North Macedonia’s only real opportunity after a completely dominant performance by Italy. The Azzurri missed a number of chances and had several others saved by visiting goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski. Italy also failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup after losing to Sweden in a two-legged playoff. Missing two straight World Cups is an unprecedented low point for the four-time champion. North Macedonia will play Portugal for a spot in the tournament in Qatar after Cristiano Ronaldo’s side beat Turkey 3-1.