TheNewsGuru

Tag: North Macedonia

  • Italy miss another World Cup as Portugal, Wales, Sweden advance

    Italy miss another World Cup as Portugal, Wales, Sweden advance

    European champions Italy will miss a second straight FIFA World Cup after being shocked 1-0 in stoppage time by North Macedonia in a play-off on Thursday.

    Four-time world champions Italy dominated the entire game in Palermo and recorded 32-4 attempts at goal but only a few were on target.

    Aleksandar Trajkovski did better on the other end when he found the net with a low shot from 25 metres into the left corner two minutes into added-on time.

    “It is difficult to explain. There is a great disappointment, even today (Thursday) we played a good game but we couldn’t score,” Italy’s veteran defender Giorgio Chiellini, who came on late, said.

    “From September to today we have made mistakes and we have paid for them. I am proud of a team that has given everything.

    “But it is clear that we are destroyed and crushed, a great void will remain within us.”

    While Italy and their coach Roberto Mancini will be licking their wounds some eight months after winning the Euro title, North Macedonia face a deciding match against Portugal on Tuesday.

    They will be looking for a place at their first World Cup finals, set to start Nov. 21 in Qatar.

    “The way that July of last year was the most beautiful achievement of my professional life, I think this is also the greatest disappointment,” Mancini said after the match, leaving questions about his future with the national team pending.

    “We’ll see, at the moment the disappointment is too great, for everyone, to talk about the future,” Mancini said.

    Also through to the play-off finals to join Portugal and North Macedonia are Wales and Sweden.

    Portugal beat Turkey 3-1 in Porto, after Turkey veteran Burak Yilmaz missed a penalty kick for a 2-2 equaliser with six minutes left.

    The hosts got a 15th-minute lead when Otavio slotted home from a tight right angle in his home stadium off Bernardo Silva’s shot against the post.

    Liverpool’s Diogo Jota doubled the lead in the 42nd minute.

    Turkey were back in the game in the 64th minute from Yilmaz’ low shot off Cengiz Ünder’s through ball.

    But Yilmaz then fired an 84th-minute penalty kick over the bar after Enes Ünal was adjudged upon video review to have been hit by José Fonte.

    Matheus Nunes then wrapped up matters on the other end.

    Gareth Bale hardly sees any playing time at Real Madrid but he scored a brace in a 2-1 win over Austria to keep alive Wales’ dream of playing at a first World Cup in 64 years.

    Bale curled a free-kick into the top right corner in the 25th minute in Cardiff and smashed the second into the same place with a diagonal drive six minutes after the restart.

    But they had to sweat it out after Marcel Sabitzer’s shot was deflected by Ben Davis over the diving goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.

    Wales will play for a spot in Qatar in June, with their opponents either Scotland or Ukraine whose game was postponed after the Russian invasion.

    Sweden beat the Czech Republic 1-0 in extra time from Robin Quaison to set up a Tuesday date with Poland who advanced by walkover after the suspension of their opponents Russia.

  • European Champions Italy sent packing from Qatar 2022 Worldcup play-offs

    European Champions Italy sent packing from Qatar 2022 Worldcup play-offs

    European champions Italy will not be part of the mundial in Qatar as they suffered a shock 0-1 defeat to less fancied North Macedonia.

    The Macedonians held the Italians to a 0-0 scoreline before the Macedonian striker struck in additional time 92mins to give them a slim 1-0 win over the Italians.

    The result means that European Champions will miss out of the Worldcup in Qatar whilst North Macedonia go ahead to Play Portugal in the final playoff to determine who goes through to the mundial.

    The Azurris of Italy have now missed back to back worldcup, they didn’t make it to the last one held in Russia .

    Portugal already defeated Turkey3-1 to book a place in the final play-off next week.

  • Timo Werner secures Germany’s ticket to 2022 FIFA World Cup

    Timo Werner secures Germany’s ticket to 2022 FIFA World Cup

    Germany became the first country to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Monday with Timo Werner scoring twice in a 4-0 win away to North Macedonia.

    The fifth victory in five matches under new coach Hansi Flick, matching the record of predecessor Joachim Loew, has given Germany an unassailable lead at the top of Group J.

    But that was also due to to Armenia losing 1-0 to Romania elsewhere.

    Germany dominated throughout against the side who inflicted only a third-ever World Cup qualifying defeat against them at home in March.

    But they needed until the second half to make the breakthrough.

    Kai Havertz tapped into an empty net to cap a fine counter-attack in the 50th minute to break the North Macedonian resistance.

    The lively Werner then smashed a quick-fire brace before teenager Jamal Musiala completed the rout with his first senior international goal.

    Germany have 21 points from eight games before concluding the campaign in November at home to Liechtenstein and away to Armenia, who are now fourth on 12 points.

    Romania, on 13, are best-placed to secure second and the play-off spot but North Macedonia, above Armenia on goal difference, are also in contention.

    “We have now qualified, that is very, very important first of all for us and it gives us confidence for the next games,” Havertz said in an interview.

    Team captain Manuel Neuer, back in goals after injury, agreed the team should now have high ambitions.

    “If we play for Germany the goal is always to win titles, to reach the highest goals possible. That’s how we will approach it there.”

    Flick made five changes to the team which beat Romania last time out, with Mueller and Havertz also coming into the attack and proving decisive.

    Home goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski denied first Joshua Kimmich then Werner, who was actually offside, and had help from the post when the Chelsea forward beat him on the stroke of half-time.

    It was Werner’s Stamford Bridge colleague Havertz who did find the net when a brilliant pass from Serge Gnabry released Mueller.

    The Bayern Munich man laid the ball off for a simple finish rather than shoot himself.

    “We have qualified as quickly as possible,” said Flick. “We also have to give the team a compliment for their attitude today (Monday).

    “We can be happy that we’ve also finished this game with a win.”

    Mueller, who notched the winner against Romania on Friday, was provider again to set up Werner in the 70th minute with a clever flick following a quick free-kick.

    Werner’s superb curling shot from the edge of the penalty box three minutes later had Germany cruising.

    In the closing stages, Musiala converted an assist from fellow substitute Karim Adeyemi.

  • Euro 2020: 2 penalties saved as Ukraine defeat North Macedonia

    Euro 2020: 2 penalties saved as Ukraine defeat North Macedonia

    Ukraine bounced back from their opening defeat at Euro 2020 as they held on to beat tournament debutants North Macedonia in an entertaining encounter in Bucharest.

    Having fought back from two goals down before ultimately losing 3-2 to the Netherlands on Sunday, Andriy Shevchenko’s side ended a run of six successive European Championship defeats to remain in contention in Group C.

    Captain Andriy Yarmolenko capitalised on poor defending from a corner after 28 minutes, before the West Ham forward’s pass set up Roman Yaremchuk, who slotted neatly into the bottom corner five minutes later.

    Leeds United’s Ezgjan Alioski followed up his own saved penalty to hand a much-improved North Macedonia a second-half lifeline, but they could not find an equaliser despite goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski saving Ruslan Malinovskiy’s penalty in the closing stages.

    Georgi Bushchan was strong in the final stages between the posts for Ukraine as they held on for the three points. The result leaves North Macedonia on the brink of elimination.

    Ukraine meet Austria and North Macedonia face the Netherlands in the final round of Group C games, with both matches taking place on Monday at 17:00.