World Cup qualifiers

THESE were the wild celebrations inside North Macedonia’s dressing room after their incredible win in Italy last night.The international minnows stunned Euro 2020 champions Italy and ended their hopes of qualifying for the World Cup in Qatar this year.
North Macedonia’s players and staff celebrated wildly in the dressing room
It marks one of the biggest results in the country’s history
They will now look to qualify for the finals against Portugal on Tuesday
Mancini faces the sack as Italy boss following Italy’s failure to qualify for the World CupCredit: Getty
Aleksandar Trajkovski’s 92nd-minute winner saw them stun the four-time world champions in dramatic fashion in Palermo.
And the celebrations in the North Macedonian dressing room after the game were something to behold.
A video emerged of the players and staff singing and dancing as they enjoyed a truly sensational victory in their World Cup play-off semi-final.
North Macedonia, who are looking to qualify for the World Cup for the first time as an independent nation, will now face Portugal on Tuesday for a place in Qatar later this year.
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Meanwhile, Italy boss Roberto Mancini was forced to apologise after his side failed to qualify for the World Cup for the second time in a row.
The Azzurri, who also missed out on the finals in 2018, have suffered the shock qualification embarrassment just eight months after clinching Euro 2020.
And Mancini is now expected to be sacked as Fabio Cannavaro is touted as a potential replacement.
Speaking after the defeat, the former Manchester City manager said: “I think that if last July was the best thing I had professionally, I think this is the biggest disappointment.
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“You can’t say anything. This is football. Sometimes incredible things happen and tonight it’s happened.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have been there, but we did everything to try to win.
“It is difficult to comment on this match, with a goal that arrived after the 90th minute without conceding anything else.
“This is a group with great players and I’m sorry because we didn’t deserve it. Now it is too early to talk about the future, we still have to digest this defeat.
“I think that the victory of the European Championship was deserved, then luck turned into total bad luck.
“On a human level, I can say that I love the boys more tonight than in July. It is a time of great difficulty and therefore my affection is even greater.” More

BORIS JOHNSON was nearly wrong-footed when he was quizzed on Ukraine getting a free pass to the World Cup at Scotland’s expense.Speaking at the Nato press conference in Brussels, The Sun posed several questions to the Prime Minister, including one about the war-torn country’s qualification for this year’s tournament in Qatar.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson didn’t realise Scotland were due to face UkraineCredit: AP
Scotland manager Steve ClarkeCredit: Kenneth Ramsay
Ukraine were due to play Scotland in a play-off semi-final this evening, but the tie was postponed to June due to the Russian invasion.
And Mr Johnson was asked about the idea of Ukraine getting automatic qualification – a prospect that could, in theory, see them grab a spot at Scotland’s expense.
Our reporter asked the PM: “You said earlier that you’d like to see Ukraine handed the hosting of the next World Cup.
“Would you like to see them automatically qualify for this year’s World Cup?”
As part of a long answer to several points, the PM replied: “On Ukraine qualifying for the, for the European – is it the European?
“I’m not, look, I, football is not my best subject, as you know.”
After an interruption from the Press corps, the PM added: “The World Cup?
“You mean should they be given a bye and qualify automatically? Sounds like a good idea to me. But I’m out of area here.
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“I’ve got to admit, that’s not my strong subject. I don’t, I don’t see why not, is my view.”
Another reporter is then heard saying: “Instead of Scotland?”
Mr Johnson replied: “James, I’m not going to say that.”
The same reporter then appeared to say: “That’s who they’re playing.”
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The PM responded with a nervous laugh and said: “I’m not going to comment on that, James. I’m not going to comment on that.”
But before moving to the next question, Mr Johnson said: “But let me put it this way.
“Given what Ukraine has been going through, given the privations that Ukrainian footballers have had to endure, I’m sure that every possible sympathy, and allowances should be made for them.
“Let me put it that way. How about that?”
Meanwhile, Scotland are instead set to face off against Poland at Hampden Park, Glasgow, in a friendly this evening.
Both countries have taken the opportunity to raise money for Unicef’s work in Ukraine, with £10 from every ticket sold going to the charity.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page More

SCOTLAND boss Steve Clarke reckons his side won’t face Ukraine for a spot at the World Cup until SEPTEMBER.And it could mean Wales face a lengthy wait to find out if they will react Qatar 2022 in December.
Steve Clarke does not believe Scotland will face Ukraine in June, with September more realisticCredit: PA
Scotland were set to face Ukraine this month in a World Cup semi-final playoff.
But Fifa delayed the match until June after Ukraine was invaded by Russia.
However, the eastern European country continues to come under siege from Vladimir Putin.
And Scotland boss Clarke can’t see how Ukraine will be able to play the game this summer.
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The winner of Scotland vs Ukraine is set to take on the winner of Wales vs Austria.
And should Gareth Bale’s side come through, they could be waiting a while to play the crunch playoff final.
Clarke said: “Is that [a further delay] looking more and more likely given the situation on the ground?
“If you’re honest about the situation, then, yes.
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“It’s difficult to see how we’ll be playing them in June. It’s not just about the fixture.
“It’s the fact they need to get together, have a training camp and get players on the pitch with a proper period to prepare for such an important game.
“Andriy Shevchenko, who I know from my time at Chelsea, spoke well about the situation and said they’d want to play.
“But the way the situation is, I think they should get as much time as possible to try to make our game happen.
“It’s a horrible situation and the quicker we know we’re going to play Ukraine at Hampden the better, because it’ll mean the war has stopped and we’re all trying to move forward.” More