Italy out of World Cup: Can Azzurri turn 'disaster' against North Macedonia into better future?

Italy's three main sports newspapers were united in their assessment of the country's shock World Cup elimination by North Macedonia on Thursday — 'Disastro'.

That was the word that screamed from the front pages of Gazzetta dello Sport, Corriere dello Sport and Tuttosport, one word doing the work of thousands.

And, at newsagents around the country, the situation had not changed much by Friday morning, with the respective headlines reading 'Out of the world', 'To hell' and, more simply, 'Nooooooooo'.

It is truly a sporting disaster for Italy, who miss out on successive World Cups for the first time, having also failed to qualify for Russia 2018. Come the 2026 finals, assuming they make it, the Azzurri and their fans will have been without World Cup football for 12 years.

It is difficult to assess whether Thursday's calamity is more or less painful than what happened in November 2017, when the Azzurri failed to edge past Sweden and book a place in Russia. That was certainly a terrible night, one on which World Cup-winning heroes from Germany 2006 Gianluigi Buffon and Daniele de Rossi said farewell to international football in unhappy fashion.

But that was also the moment in which a supposed process of innovation started — Roberto Mancini was appointed manager shortly afterwards and a new attacking mentality was implemented. Three fantastic years followed, culminating in Italy being crowned European champions at Wembley last July. No-one has forgotten that.

But then this.

On the one hand, it feels like Italy shouldn't have been in this predicament in the first place. Mancini's men are still the heroes of Wembley, the team who remained unbeaten for 37 consecutive games. They frankly looked dominant in Group C of qualifying,