Just eight months after winning Euro 2020, Italy found a way to humiliate itself again.

The reigning European champion failed to qualify for the World Cup for a second consecutive time, falling 1-0 to North Macedonia in Thursday's qualifying playoff. Aleksandar Trajkovski scored in the 92nd minute to hand North Macedonia the biggest victory in its young history as an independent nation.

Italy outshot its opponent 32-4 in Palermo, but only five of its shots hit the target. North Macedonia, meanwhile, blocked 16 shots in a resilient performance that far surpasses its 2-1 win over Germany earlier in World Cup qualifying.

Fans booed Italy off the field after showing incredible support before and during the match. The disappointment mirrored that which followed Italy's 1-0 aggregate loss to Sweden in November 2017, a result that caused the Azzurri to miss the World Cup for the first time since 1958.