Italy misses 2nd straight World Cup in rapid fall from grace
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By STEVE DOUGLAS
AP Sports Writer
Italy has gone from winning the European Championship to failing to qualify for the World Cup in just eight months. In a stunning fall from grace, the Azzurri were upset by North Macedonia in a 1-0 loss in the qualifying playoffs. They will miss out on back-to-back World Cups for the first time in the team’s storied history having also failed to get to the tournament in 2018. Standing in North Macedonia’s path to a first appearance at the World Cup final is Portugal. Portugal beat Turkey 3-1. There were also wins for Wales and Sweden in the playoff semifinals.