Italy and Austria are not going to the World Cup – FFH.de
Italy and Austria will not go to Qatar for the World Cup.
For the reigning European champions, it is the first time in history that they have won two world championships in a row. They failed to qualify for the last one. This time they lost 1-0 to North Macedonia in added time. Aleksandar Trajkovski scored the decisive goal in stoppage time (90+2).
Italy coach Roberto Mancini has initially left his future open. “We’ll see – the disappointment is too big to talk about the future,” said the coach after the game when asked. “It’s hard to think about things like that. It won’t be easy in the next few days.” His contract runs until 2026. Both association chiefs Gravina and captain Giorgio Chiellini spoke out in favor of Mancini staying on the coaching chair.
Austria not there either
The Austrian national team lost to Wales in their playoff semi-final in Cardiff. The team of Franco Foda, who was born in Mainz, couldn’t get past a 1:2 draw. The final opponent of the Welsh will only be determined in the summer. Scotland’s game against Ukraine has been postponed.
Turkey and the Czech Republic are also out
Portugal defeated Turkey 3-1. The Turkish national team must therefore continue to wait for their first participation in the World Cup since 2002. The Czech documents Sweden in extra time with 0:1. Ex-Mainzer Robin Quaison scored the Swedish goal. The Swedish team will face Poland in the final round. They didn’t have to play in the semifinals because the Russian national team was excluded from qualifying for the World Cup.
Poland and Scotland play for a good cause
World Cup candidates Scotland and Poland drew in a charity football match for Ukraine. Former Hertha professional Krzysztof Piatek saved Poland 1-1 (0-0) with a converted penalty kick in the first minute of injury time on Thursday evening. In the presence of Scotland’s Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Kieran Tierney (67) had headed the hosts ahead with his first international goal.
39,090 spectators had previously seen a varied game at Glasgow’s Hampden Park, which was all about aid for Ukraine. For every ticket sold, £10 (around €12) was donated to Unicef to support children there following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.