Giant-killers North Macedonia ready to destroy Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream

There are no prizes for guessing which team Cristiano Ronaldo preferred to face as Portugal prepare for the final step towards qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. But facing North Macedonia, a team rapidly gaining a reputation for its giant-killings, offers a precarious scenario.

Ronaldo and Portugal secured their spot in the final play-off after beating Turkey 3-1 on Thursday thanks to goals from Otavio, Diogo Jota and Matheus Nunes. Ronaldo won his 185th cap and, while he failed to add to his incredible tally of 115 goals in Lisbon, his team managed to get the job done.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos could have been forgiven for keeping one eye on the Italy match, with such a short time to prepare for Monday’s crunch clash. Playing against the European champions would have been a daunting prospect for his side — only for the Azzurri to fail what seemed to be an easy test against North Macedonia.

Despite having 30 attempts on goal, Italy were wasteful and found themselves desperately scrambling for a winning goal with extra-time looming. That was until Aleksandar Trajkovski, some 25 yards out, struck a sweet, low effort into the far corner of the net, sparking wild celebrations on the North Macedonian bench.

Trajkovski has developed a habit of becoming an Italian party pooper. Back in 2017, he scored in the 1-1 draw between the two sides. The next month, Italy lost in the play-off to miss out on the 2018 World Cup, resulting in the dismissal of coach Giampero Ventura. And he will be keeping a low profile when he goes back to rejoin Serie B club Palermo after the international break.

Of the 15 players that featured against Italy, only two play in the top five European leagues. The rest play in Croatia, the German