Italy stars ‘destroyed and crushed’ by ‘nightmare’ World Cup failure: ‘It’s difficult to understand’

Italy’s footballers have spoken of their crushing disappointment after the reigning European champions inexplicably failed to qualify for a second successive World Cup.

The four-time winners - who beat England at Wembley only last summer to seal a memorable second continental triumph - were huge favourites to overcome North Macedonia on home soil in Palermo on Wednesday night and advance through to the play-off final in Pathway C.

Victory at the Stadio Renzo Barbera would have set up a blockbuster clash with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal - who overcame Turkey in Porto - for a place in Qatar this winter, though Italy were stunned after a profligate performance as Aleksandar Trajkovski fired home a shock 92nd-minute winner to seal an enormous upset.

Manager Roberto Mancini would not be drawn on his future after such a galling loss that ensured that the Azzurri’s wait for another World Cup knockout match would extend to at least 20 years, stretching back to their final victory over France in Berlin in 2006.

Their last World Cup match of any kind came against Uruguay in Natal in 2014, with Italy - along with England - knocked out in the group stage that year before later failing to reach the 2018 finals in Russia after another play-off defeat at the hands of Sweden.

“It’s hard to say something right now, I don’t know what to say,” Mancini said after the shock loss to North Macedonia. “Last summer was the most beautiful joy, now comes the greatest disappointment. It is not easy to think of other things, I am very sorry for the boys: I love them much more tonight than in July.

“I am the coach, I am the first responsible, the boys are not. They have a great future, they are strong players for the future of the national team. We