View from Italy after World Cup failure: 'The disaster of Mancini', 'Blue Nightmare', 'Out of this World'

The World Cup will be without Italy for the second edition in a row following what has been described back home as a "humiliating" defeat to North Macedonia in the play-offs on Thursday night.

After stubborn defending repelled Italy for large spells of the contest in Palermo, the visitors capitalised in stoppage time thanks to Aleksandar Trajkovski's strike to seal a 1-0 victory.

Latching on to a flick-on, Trajkovski got the ball out from under his feet before unleashing a stunning low drive from 25 yards out that beat the despairing dive of Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The goal sparked jubilation as players and coaches on the North Macedonia bench rushed on to the pitch as several Italian players were left with their head in their hands.

Nine months on from triumphing at Euro 2020, the Azzurri are left to reflect on a shock loss that means they will miss a second successive World Cup, having also been absent at the 2018 edition in Russia.

The Italian media did not hold back in their criticism of Roberto Mancini's side, less than a year after they lifted the European Championship trophy by beating England on penalties at Wembley.

Tuttosport described it as a "Blue Nightmare" with Chelsea midfielder Jorginho labelled a "snail" for the slow tempo of his play - contributing to a rating of four out of 10.

Corriere dello Sport lead with the headline "To Hell", reflecting on the "immense disappointment" of a second successive World Cup no-show following Italy's shock elimination in Palermo.

La Gazzetta dello Sport describe the seismic result as "Out of this World" with Mancini "devastated" and considering his future.

After one of the greatest wins in their history, North Macedonia, who at 67th in the world were ranked 61 places below Italy, can look forward to a play-off final against Portugal, who defeated Turkey 3-1.

Defender Giorgio Chiellini said he and his team-mates felt "destroyed and crushed" after missing out on the World Cup finals again.

"I am proud of a team that has given everything, it is clear that we are destroyed and crushed, a great void will remain within us," said Chiellini, who replaced Gianluca Mancini in the 90th minute.

"There is a great disappointment, even today we played a good game but we couldn't score. From September to today we have made mistakes and we have paid for them."

Midfielder Marco Verratti said North Macedonia's goal in added time was a "real nightmare".

"This group had a great chance at the World Cup, we came from the unbeaten record, so it is difficult to accept what happened tonight," Verratti said.

"We all know that we have given everything, now surely it is time to ask ourselves some questions."

Mancini's Italy side had 32 efforts at goal in the match, but somehow fell short, with North Macedonia going on to play Portugal in the play-off final next week for a place in the Qatar World Cup which will not involve Italy once more.

"It is a huge disappointment," Italy midfielder Jorginho told Rai Sport. "It hurts, it hurts so much.

"We have always created and dominated matches but we have not been able to finish teams off. It is not to blame anyone in particular but it is the reality.

"I don't know why we haven't been able to do this, I am also involved in this, and it hurts me to think about it."

Mancini: Luck has abandoned us

Mancini said: "I am very sorry for the players I love more now than in July, they are good and thanks to them this team can have a future.

"How the triumph of July was the best thing that has happened to me professionally this is the biggest disappointment. In football sometimes incredible things happen like tonight. We didn't have to be here but we did everything to win. Talking about the match is now difficult.

"The luck that accompanied us last summer has turned its back on us, because in matches sometimes incredible things happened.

"We dominated the qualifying group, we had two occasions and it was enough to take advantage of one," concluded the coach, recalling the two penalties missed by Jorginho in the direct clashes with Switzerland.

Italy inquest - but will Mancini stay on?

It was only in May 2021 - prior to the European Championships - that Mancini signed a four-year contract extension that will keep him in charge until June 2026.

Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina added: "I hope Mancini will continue with us. He has a commitment at the project level, I hope that he will dispose of the waste from this elimination like all the other Italians and that he will remain at the helm of the national team to continue our work. I still have a lot of energy. .

"This is the law of football. When you are part of the world of sport, you have to accept these verdicts too.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sad for all our fans. The great joy of this summer remains, but also the great bitterness for this defeat. We didn't expect it. These guys have been splendid and will continue to be. our country an extraordinary dream just a few months ago. However, we must not live on income.

"Tonight's defeat makes us understand that in our football there is something to do. I'm not just referring to various indices and parameters. We need to understand better what to do, for example, to solve the problem of our young players who do not play.

"Only 30 per cent of Italian players play in the Primavera [Italian football youth competition]. We have to analyse the problem and move on."