FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Italy vs North Macedonia Player Ratings as North Macedonia stun European champions in Palermo
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Italy vs North Macedonia: In a historic and shocking turn of events, North Macedonia went to Italy to beat the European champions in a World Cup qualifying game. It was do-or-die for both teams and most will have foreseen a comfortable win for Italy, but the Gods were on the underdog’s side tonight.
Roberto Mancini’s Azzurri dominated proceedings tonight. But they will not be at the World Cup for the second time running. Football can be a weird game, despite not threatening at all for the full 90 minutes, North Macedonia grabbed a late late winner just as the game was about to make its way into extra time.
Following are the player ratings at the end of the 90 minutes:
Italy vs North Macedonia
Italy:
21. Gianluigi Donnarumma (6/10): The PSG shot-stopper had little action between the sticks. His team were always on the front foot down the other end of the pitch.
16. Alessandro Florenzi (7.5/10): Florenzi was incredibly successful at bossing the right flank. His role was to assist Berardi on the occasional attack and keep things nice and comfortable without the ball.
19. Gianluca Mancini (6.5/10): The young centre back was part of the starting eleven ahead of the likes or Giorgio Chiellini and Francesco Acerbi. The lack of experience though meant little. Mancini played a solid game and kept his composure till the very end.
23. Alessandro Bastoni (7.25/10): While his interceptions and tackles were all very useful, his development as a ball playing centre half at Inter has been commendable. This was one notable aspect of today’s game that Bastoni’s nation readily took charge of.
13. Emerson Palmieri (7/10): Since his heroics at last year’s European championships, we haven’t really seen the best of the left-back. His combinations with a disappointing Ciro Immobile most frequently broke down but he was effective at receiving the football, going through and exchanging one or two passes out wide.
8. Jorginho (7.25/10): Unlike his confined role at Chelsea, Jorginho wasn’t restricted to one region on the pitch. With added mobility, he was able to make the most of Nicolo Barella’s fluid technique and with Veratti in such form.
6. Marco Veratti (8.5/10): As with most other games of football he takes part in, Marco Veratti bossed the show for the Azzurri tonight, retaining possession, creating chances for the likes of Barella and Insigne and making the most of every opportunity that came his way.
18. Nicoló Barella (6.25/10): The young Inter midfielder made a few nervy calls early in the game, and was quick to make up for his errors by combining rather well with those around him. By the 77th minute, Barella had been taken off the pitch. Mildly disappointed.
11. Domenico Berardi (7.75/10): Simply put, Berardi was the most effective of the front three. His end product may not have been the best but he was up there when it came to displaying the qualities of a true winger. He drifted out wide, combined with his full-back and tested the opposing keeper when he could.
17. Ciro Immobile (5.5/10): Multiple chances missed, a lot more sloppy regrets for the Lazio centre forward from today’s game. By the 77th minute, Immobile had been taken off but the damage had already been done, the captain had a below-par game.
10. Lorenzo Insigne (5.75/10): With a lot more coming his way in the first half and Macedonia’s defensive line getting thicker as the game went on, Insigne could easily have been the difference-maker he so usually is.
Substitutes:
22. Giacomo Raspadori (6.25/10): The youngster was presented with limited time to try and change the game. He seemed rather quiet and uncomfortable when he looked up to a stack of Macedonian shirts ahead of him.
7. Lorenzo Pellegrini (6/10): Didn’t have the impact most would’ve foreseen. With Immobile failing to reach up to his usual standards, the onus was on Pellegrini to replace the Lazio man and try to make the telling difference.
4. Sandro Tonali (6/10): Far less involved in the final 13 minutes than one would’ve expected him to be. Although he only had the ball at his feet on rare occasions.
9. João Pedro (N/A)
North Macedonia:
1. Stole Dimitrievski (8.5/10): The Rayo Vallecano keeper kept a historic clean sheet that sends his nation to the world Cup. Memorable performance in a game where the odds were vastly stacked against his side.
Stefan Ristovski (6.75/10): The captain was vigilant on the far right side. Lorenzo Insigne cutting In and the electric Emerson going outside isn’t a combination you’d want to face in a game that quite literally has your world Cup hopes hanging in the balance. Still, the Macedonian defender did a relatively quiet game.
Darko Velkovski (6.25/10): Velkovski was often tasked with being an old fashioned cental defender and booting the ball away and so he did. By the end of his 86 minutes, he’d accumulated a booking, 12 clearances and 2 interceptions to his name.
6. Visar Musliu (8.25/10): The 27 year old is known to be error-prone and to lack the physical qualities of other defenders in the game but this is a game he will not forget for a long long time. Body on the line and the spirit of a commander, Musliu wore his heart on his sleeve today. Commendable.
8. Ezgjan Alioski (6.5/10): The left-back was crucial to moving Domenico Berardi away from the action. Albeit being outclassed on multiple occasions later in the match, he did a half-decent job of restricting Florenzi and Berardi to nought.
5. Arijan Ademi (6.75/10): Shielded the backline, played calculated passes, made the occasional error and had a very mixed outing. As far as Macedonia’s system goes, Ademi was crucial to finding space in between the lines and blocking vertical through passes.
11. Darko Churlinov (6.5/10): Churlinov was essentially a defender for the most part of the game tonight. As part of the Macedonian notion to keep Italy out and to have them frustrated, he was more of a supporting fullback at this point really.
16. Boban Nikolov (5.75/10): His time on the pitch was cut short due to injury. He was lively in one or two exchanges when Macedonia did try to keep hold of possession but apart from that, the number 16 was just another one of the shirts Blagoja Milevski had put behind the ball.
10. Enis Bardhi (6/10): The Levante star man failed to create space where he usually does in the left half-spaces. He was often troubled by Alessandro Bastoni’s cover and discipline in those positions but he won’t mind. He’s going to the World Cup and Bastoni isn’t.
9. Aleksander Trajkobvakski (7.5/10): His strike will live long in the memory of the millions of North Macedonians that were cheering on tonight. It was a truly spectacular goal, that fits the description of what a 90th-minute winner would otherwise look like in my head. Outside of that goal, he wasn’t very active.
Milan Ristovski (6.25/10): The striker’s time on the pitch amounted to just 72 minutes after which he was duly replaced with a defender. In a game where the host’s had 30 shots, it’s hard to imagine the Macedonian striker seeing much of the ball.
Substitutes:
- Stefan Spirovski (6.25/10): Mostly took up positions in midfield although he was sent on to slow things down a little bit during a period when the Italians were getting increasingly cold blooded in their approach.
3. Stefan Aškovski (6.25/10): For the half hour he was spared, he did well to make a few noticeable tackles and clearances, as was what any other Macedonian player was doing at the time.
23. Bojan Miovski (6/10): Bojan got the assist to the goal that sends his nation to the world Cup. That was about quite his only meaningful contribution in the game.
4. Kire Ristevski (N/A):
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Aditi Srinivas
(657 Articles Published)