2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar - UEFA Qualifiers

[izsara]

Before yesterday, Italy played 59 WC qualifying games at home. They won 48 and drew 11. Yesterday's loss is their first one ever in a WC qualifying match.

Portugal is probably the luckiest team in the world. First they get lucky with that Yilmaz penalty - and then they get North Macedonia instead of Italy.
They will breeze through that game - I really don't think that Macedonia can make 2 big surprises in a row.

Regardless of luck or not this has happened now and indeed Italy lost to North Macedonia so I feel this is something that really has to happen now.
They couldn't participate in 2 world cups because previously they also lost and this is certainly not a good thing for them and they have to make an update in their squad because it can be said that Italy is one of the great national teams but it's a shame they have to see world cup only from tv without being able to participate

[buwaytress]

I missed the upset of the season guys, can't believe it. It was 31/1 at Sportsbet, 27/1 at Fairlay but come on, this was Italy. Full of incredible talents, an attacking front bristling with goals, even with my love for longshots, this was never going to be on my list of considerations. Value wise, very poor, you'd never expect them to win in 50 games.

Still hating myself for it. @cryptofrka yeah Portugal will be so happy they avoided the champs of Europe, lucky bastards.

[Wawa2013]

Before yesterday, Italy played 59 WC qualifying games at home. They won 48 and drew 11. Yesterday's loss is their first one ever in a WC qualifying match.

Portugal is probably the luckiest team in the world. First they get lucky with that Yilmaz penalty - and then they get North Macedonia instead of Italy.
They will breeze through that game - I really don't think that Macedonia can make 2 big surprises in a row.

What you say is true, if Burak Yilmaz managed to score a goal through a penalty in the 85th minute, maybe the result of the match would be different.
Because Turkey failed to score a goal through a penalty it made the confidence of the Turkish players decreased slightly, and finally provided a chance
for Portugal to score their third goal in the 94th minute and ensure Portugal's victory. But if Burak Yilmaz manages to score the second goal through
a penalty, the match will be more interesting and there is a possibility that Turkey will win the match. Although Portugal was more in control of
the match, but the opportunities created were not much different, so the missed penalty did indeed bring luck to Portugal.

Then Portugal can smile because luckily their next opponent is North Macedonia, because Italy was surprisingly knocked out by a single goal from
North Macedonia in the last minute of the match, that's because the Italian players lost concentration because they were too focused on attacking.
Of course this is good news for Portugal, because with the quality of players that Portugal has, it will not be difficult to beat North Macedonia.
Most importantly Portugal can learn from Italy's mistakes, not to underestimate North Macedonia. After all, it is true that it is impossible for
North Macedonia to surprise a second time by beating Portugal. North Macedonia were just lucky to get rid of Italy and I firmly believe that it will not
happen again against Portugal.

[Woodie]

It's so sad what's happening to italy national team after north Macedonia scored at a deadly time and ended the Italian hope  after wasting so many scoring opportunities. it's the second time that italy couldn't pass to the world cup it's really sad that we won't see them in qatar world cup this year.

Football is not always about the best team or the most skillful will be guaranteed to win, sometimes all it takes is a little bit of some luck and the rest is history just as inbthe case of North Macedonia

I missed the upset of the season guys, can't believe it. It was 31/1 at Sportsbet, 27/1 at Fairlay but come on, this was Italy.

Woow and the thing with such odds is we punters play with a safety net in mind to avoid losing money, imagine staking $100 or more...the payout comes out as good money  

[Cryptmuster]

The biggest surprise of last night was realized by North Macedonia. Italy dominated the game for almost 90 minutes. They got a lot of chances but couldn't score.  North Macedonia, on the other hand, eliminated Italy with a great goal at the end of the match. They were probably working on taking the game to penalties and eliminating that goal, which was great for them. The last European champion, Italy, could not make it to the world cup.  In the final, they will fight Portugal

This is the biggest sensation of last night. I could not imagine that Macedonia would be able to defeat Italy. And that after such a defeat, Mancini will be fired, or will he be trusted to continue to coach the team? I did not find any news that could say something about his future fate in the team. Italy dominated and should have won, but the Macedonians did the impossible, it's true.

[bitzizzix]

Before yesterday, Italy played 59 WC qualifying games at home. They won 48 and drew 11. Yesterday's loss is their first one ever in a WC qualifying match.

Portugal is probably the luckiest team in the world. First they get lucky with that Yilmaz penalty - and then they get North Macedonia instead of Italy.
They will breeze through that game - I really don't think that Macedonia can make 2 big surprises in a row.

What you say is true, if Burak Yilmaz managed to score a goal through a penalty in the 85th minute, maybe the result of the match would be different.
Because Turkey failed to score a goal through a penalty it made the confidence of the Turkish players decreased slightly, and finally provided a chance
for Portugal to score their third goal in the 94th minute and ensure Portugal's victory. But if Burak Yilmaz manages to score the second goal through
a penalty, the match will be more interesting and there is a possibility that Turkey will win the match. Although Portugal was more in control of
the match, but the opportunities created were not much different, so the missed penalty did indeed bring luck to Portugal.

Then Portugal can smile because luckily their next opponent is North Macedonia, because Italy was surprisingly knocked out by a single goal from
North Macedonia in the last minute of the match, that's because the Italian players lost concentration because they were too focused on attacking.
Of course this is good news for Portugal, because with the quality of players that Portugal has, it will not be difficult to beat North Macedonia.
Most importantly Portugal can learn from Italy's mistakes, not to underestimate North Macedonia. After all, it is true that it is impossible for
North Macedonia to surprise a second time by beating Portugal. North Macedonia were just lucky to get rid of Italy and I firmly believe that it will not
happen again against Portugal.

Even though Burak Yilmaz managed to execute a penalty kick, I think Portugal will still win because even though the score is even in the end Portugal will score again in the last minutes of the rest of the match.
Portugal have ambitions to win and play really well throughout the game and also dominate the game and if some core defenders come into play I think Turkey will have a hard time scoring goals.
and even though Italy won against Macedonia I think Italy will lose to Portugal considering the match against Macedonia was very boring and many chances but didn't score, so Portugal vs Macedonia meeting I think Portugal will win.

[tyz]

Personally, I think it's a shame that Italy is once again not qualified for the World Cup. But they screwed it up themselves. First they didn't win easy games in the regular qualification and now against North Macedonia they were clearly the better team over 90 minutes and lose by a nice long shot in injury time. They lacked cleverness and deserved to be eliminated.

[joker_josue]

Then Portugal can smile because luckily their next opponent is North Macedonia, because Italy was surprisingly knocked out by a single goal from North Macedonia in the last minute of the match, that's because the Italian players lost concentration because they were too focused on attacking.
Of course this is good news for Portugal, because with the quality of players that Portugal has, it will not be difficult to beat North Macedonia.
Most importantly Portugal can learn from Italy's mistakes, not to underestimate North Macedonia. After all, it is true that it is impossible for
North Macedonia to surprise a second time by beating Portugal. North Macedonia were just lucky to get rid of Italy and I firmly believe that it will not happen again against Portugal.

No two games are the same, so North Macedonia will certainly have a harder time.
On the other hand, Portugal cannot be extremely confident either, as this may cause them to have some surprise. Turkey almost scared Portugal, so you have to be careful.

[Jackl87]

The biggest surprise of last night was realized by North Macedonia. Italy dominated the game for almost 90 minutes. They got a lot of chances but couldn't score.  North Macedonia, on the other hand, eliminated Italy with a great goal at the end of the match. They were probably working on taking the game to penalties and eliminating that goal, which was great for them. The last European champion, Italy, could not make it to the world cup.  In the final, they will fight Portugal

To call the outcome of the match of Italy vs North Macedonia a big surprise is probably still one of the biggest understatements in sports in the last few years. I mean after all we are talking about the current European Champion here which really won the Euro last year in a very deserved way in my opinion. I don't even know if this ever happened before, that a reigning champion has missed the qualification of the next big international tournament. That being said they also were extremely unlucky in my opinion. They definitely dominated the match as you already said and they should have won it  but if you are not able to score even with that many chances then of course it's also your own fault.

[vit.frol]

How do you think, if North Macedonia come to World Cup, will Goran Pandev return?

[CryptocurencyKing]

A heart breaking way to kick Italy out of World Cup qualifier. North Macedonia with one of the great upsets in football. They defended incredibly well. Had one real chance at the end and made the most of it. I am sure that Italy downgraded Macedonia and they were looking forward to Portugal match not knowing they have to clear the path to meet them. Italy quite obviously lacked creativity upfront, they played with just a regular pattern which the Macedonians came prepared for and with a counter plan. In the end, Italy who had a couple of chances lost out to a team that had just one half chance and took it. It is disappointing that they missed out on the world cup once again.

A great way to eliminate Italy from World Cup qualifying. A great victory on Italian soil for Northern Macedonia. The game is called Football for a reason, anything can happen. It is impossible to underestimate any team, whether it is small, average or high quality. Our hearts went out to North Macedonia. We congratulate the underdog. It is a disaster for Italy to miss back-to-back world cups! However, Portugal is patiently awaiting the next meeting.

Italy were the better side on paper, and their stats also indicated their on-field dominance. But they lacked the final touch throughout the game. North Macedonia prepared for an onslaught in their defensive third and just waited patiently for an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow. They had lots of chances in the first half. However, a well organised North Macedonian defense refused to budge and denied them the goal with well-timed interceptions, clearances, and blocks. That match is a life lesson for us all not to underrate anyone or team and not to count our eggs before they are laid. if Portugal underrate Macedonia, they might be out of the WC finals just like Italy.

[Cnut237]

Italy were the better side on paper, and their stats also indicated their on-field dominance. But they lacked the final touch throughout the game. North Macedonia prepared for an onslaught in their defensive third and just waited patiently for an opportunity to deliver a decisive blow. They had lots of chances in the first half. However, a well organised North Macedonian defense refused to budge and denied them the goal with well-timed interceptions, clearances, and blocks. That match is a life lesson for us all not to underrate anyone or team and not to count our eggs before they are laid. if Portugal underrate Macedonia, they might be out of the WC finals just like Italy.

I'm sure if N Mac play Portugal, they'll have the exact same game-plan they did against Italy. And as with the last game, I'd strongly favour Portugal to win, but I'd think it would probably be quite low-scoring. These games tend to follow a similar pattern, usually 0-0 with the big team pushing hard and the little team with 11 men behind the ball. Then when the breakthrough comes, the little team open up in search of an equaliser, and that's when the score can start to ratchet up. But the longer they keep it at 0-0, the more their confidence grows, the more the big team gets frustrated, and the more likely a result like yesterday's becomes.

I don't think it's a case of big teams underestimating little teams, it's more a reflection of how good or bad the big teams are at breaking down opposition who stick 11 men behind the ball. Dominance is nothing if you can't break through.

[gabbie2010]

It will be interesting to watch Egypt vs Senegal tonight... They recently met in the African Cup of Nations final, with Senegal winning on penalties! Will Egypt be able to take revenge and beat their opponents on home field? Bookmakers have about the same odds of winning - 2.7/3.0... I don't think there will be many goals in this game, so it could well be a draw!

Egyptians vowed to revenge their loss against the Senegalese in the last AFCON, it's definitely going to be tough match, though the Egyptians will be comfortable playing at home, which might give them an edge over Senegal, North African countries usually play brilliantly at home due to massive home support from their teeming fans thus will give them the opportunity to score goals so as to prepare for the second leg, personally I am predicting Egypt to win narrowly with a small goal margin of one, however the return will favor Senegal also thus goals differences in the two legs will determine the eventual winner.

[casperBGD]

How do you think, if North Macedonia come to World Cup, will Goran Pandev return?

hopefully, he will
I have his card on Sorare, and that would help to play Sorare while World Cup, since there is not to many players on national teams, that will be available, and there will be no other competitions during World Cup

anyway, congrats to North Macedonia, wowing for them to play brave in re-match and qualify for World Cup

[cryptofrka]

As expected, Burak Yilmaz announced his retirement from the national team today. He has 31 goals in 77 games, a feat surpassed only by Hakan Sukur.

I really feel sorry for him, this is a horrible way to go. Basically his last touch in international football was a missed penalty that kicked Turkey from the World Cup.

Sport can sometimes be really cruel - he was great for Turkey over the years and there is a chance that he'll be remembered most by this miss.

[dwminer1]

Italy - North Macedonia
In this match, I see no other option than a convincing victory for the hosts. Nobody needs to be convinced about the class of the Italian national team. Additionally, in the visiting team, their best player Eljif Elmas has a break cause of the cards. I think the Italians will take the lead quickly and I will be in control of the game while saving myself for a likely match against Portugal in the next stage.

The victory of North Macedonia is a real sensation. Take a look at the statistics:



Second World Cup in a row without Italians. Unimaginable. If their defeat with Sweden was "the end of football world" for them, what about North Macedonia, less than a year after winning the European Championship.

[zaki12]

The biggest surprise of last night was realized by North Macedonia. Italy dominated the game for almost 90 minutes. They got a lot of chances but couldn't score.  North Macedonia, on the other hand, eliminated Italy with a great goal at the end of the match. They were probably working on taking the game to penalties and eliminating that goal, which was great for them. The last European champion, Italy, could not make it to the world cup.  In the final, they will fight Portugal

This is the biggest sensation of last night. I could not imagine that Macedonia would be able to defeat Italy. And that after such a defeat, Mancini will be fired, or will he be trusted to continue to coach the team? I did not find any news that could say something about his future fate in the team. Italy dominated and should have won, but the Macedonians did the impossible, it's true.

That's football full of surprises, behind this defeat in Italy gave a hard slap to the reigning champions of Euro 2020 who for the second time failed to qualify for the quadrennial event.
 Worse yet, Italy also endured embarrassment after they failed to qualify for the World Cup with an unbeaten record during the 2022 World Cup Qualification group stage.

[Balmain]

The result of the Macedonia-Italy match surprised me as much as everyone else. It would have been very advantageous if Turkey-Portugal had been able to beat it. Macedonia would be an easy opponent to Turkey. If Burak Yilmaz had not missed the penalty at 82 minutes, maybe Turkey would not have been eliminated. While there is a player with a high technical capacity like Hakan Calhanoğlu, the impostor Burak Yılmaz uses the penalty, which was very sad.

[Mahdirakib]

Well, I was right that Italy vs N Mac would be a low-scoring game, and that N Mac would put 11 men behind the ball, and right that anything can happen in a single winner-takes-all knockout match... but still, despite all that, I'm hugely surprised that they won.
So Italy are now in the crazy position of not qualifying for two world cups in a row... and what did they do between those two failures? Entered Euro 2020 and won the tournament!

It was quite surprising. No one expected that Italy will loss against Morth Macedonia. Italy has won the last Euro cup by playing well against the strong teams. They have won the FIFA world cup 4 times until now. Unfortunately they are out from the world cup qualification stage twice in a row! Italy made a lot of attempts to score a goal yesterday, but they have failed all the times. Anyway, Italy has made it easy for Portugal now. Perhaps, Portugal will easily win against the Morth Macedonia in the final match of world cup qualifiers.

[CryptocurencyKing]

The biggest surprise of last night was realized by North Macedonia. Italy dominated the game for almost 90 minutes. They got a lot of chances but couldn't score.  North Macedonia, on the other hand, eliminated Italy with a great goal at the end of the match. They were probably working on taking the game to penalties and eliminating that goal, which was great for them. The last European champion, Italy, could not make it to the world cup.  In the final, they will fight Portugal

This is the biggest sensation of last night. I could not imagine that Macedonia would be able to defeat Italy. And that after such a defeat, Mancini will be fired, or will he be trusted to continue to coach the team? I did not find any news that could say something about his future fate in the team. Italy dominated and should have won, but the Macedonians did the impossible, it's true.

That's football full of surprises, behind this defeat in Italy gave a hard slap to the reigning champions of Euro 2020 who for the second time failed to qualify for the quadrennial event.
 Worse yet, Italy also endured embarrassment after they failed to qualify for the World Cup with an unbeaten record during the 2022 World Cup Qualification group stage.

Since winning Euro 2020, Italy's form in the world cup qualifiers have been abysmal. Typical hangover from winning a major title. It is disappointing that they missed out on the world cup once again. The team showed poor game management against a team who are ranked 67 in FIFA's national team standings. Now the passionate supporters of this country will be deprived of yet another World Cup having already seen the unforgettable failure to reach Russia 2018. I love the way North Macedonia were playing against Italy. They showed a united front especially their defence was on another level. If they can replicate this performance against Portugal, there will be problem.