EUR NOT SINGING ANYMORE!
Italy humiliated with World Cup KO by minnows North Macedonia – just 257 days after breaking England hearts at Euro 2020
"IT'S coming Rome", you told us. It's not though, is it.
Italy have failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup just 257 days after breaking England hearts at Wembley.
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The European champions were beaten 1-0 by North Macedonia in their play-off clash and will now MISS their second World Cup in a row.
Veteran centre-back Giorgio Chiellini trudged off the pitch after Thursday's shock defeat and whined that he felt 'distraught'.
Jorginho said the defeat would "haunt me forever" and boss Roberto Mancini is now being tipped for the sack.
And for England fans, it's oh so sweet.
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The brave Three Lions were beaten on the lottery of penalties at last summer's Euros final at Wembley by the Italians.
We watched as the Azzurri paraded the trophy around the national stadium and mercilessly taunted fans and players.
Italy players chanted 'It's Coming Home' and danced around the hallowed Wembley turf in front of heartbroken England stars before mocking us by saying 'It's Coming ROME'.
Leonardo Bonucci slammed young Declan Rice after the West Ham ace claimed England were 'ten times more motivated' than Italy before kick-off.
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The veteran defender roared in the TV camera and plonked the trophy on his head in celebration - before climbing into bed with it alongside Chiellini.
The same Chiellini who brutally yanked teenager Bukayo Saka to the ground when clean through on goal with seconds left of the 90 minutes.
Cynical. Disgusting. 'Professional foul', they called it. Let's call a spade a spade, it was cheating.
But on Thursday night, a smug grin crept onto the faces of every England fan in the country.
North Macedonia stunned Italy with an extra-time screamer from Aleksandar Trajkovski to book their spot in the play-off final with Portugal.
That's right, they didn't even make it to the play-off final...
After the game, Chiellini claimed he was 'distraught' and dramatically added: "A large void is now within us."
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How do you think we all felt last summer?
England haven't won a major trophy since 1966 - 56 years of hurt and counting.
But at least we continue to qualify for the World Cup. Not since 1994 have England missed out on the biggest competition in international football.
Meanwhile, Italy have missed out on the last two - with their last World Cup match coming against England in the group stage in 2014.
Their last knockout stage match? You have to go way back to the 2006 World Cup final in Germany.
That's nearly 16 years ago. 5,737 days to be exact.
But who's counting...
England fans have been typically merciless after the shock result - sharing some not-so-subtle digs at Italy.
Less than a year after the cruel taunts, who can blame 'em?
One fan tweeted: "Hey Italy, just a reminder that... YOU'RE GOING HOME."
Another cheekily added: "It’s coming Rome though, is it not."
Others resorted to hilarious memes at Italy's expense.
And Italian newspapers were similarly scathing, saying Mancini's side have 'gone to hell'.
But for Italy players - and boss Mancini - it's anything but a laughing matter.
After the game, the Italian bizarrely referenced the Euro 2020 win and took a dig at North Macedonia for their smash-and-grab win.
Mancini said: "I’m more than disappointed, I’ve nothing to say.
"Something incredible happened tonight. We deserved to win the Euros, now we’ve been really unlucky…
"But that’s it, that’s the reality. I’m sorry for the players."
Chiellini gave his backing to the under-fire boss while echoing his heartbreak.
The defender added: "There is great disappointment.
"I'm proud of my team-mates. We are distraught.
"I hope the future is still with Mr Mancini."
Chelsea star Jorginho blamed himself for the KO - having missed TWO penalties in the crunch group stage draw against Switzerland.
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The Blues midfielder said: “It hurts so much. I’ll be honest, I am still incredulous.
"We won the European Championship last summer, but unfortunately in the last few games we made small errors and were unable to recover from them.
“It hurts when I think about [missing penalties vs Switzerand], because I do still think about it and it will haunt me for the rest of my life.
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"Stepping up there twice and not being able to help your team and your country is something that I will carry with me forever, and it weighs on me.
“People say we need to lift our heads and carry on, but it’s tough.”
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