Looking back to the end of the world cup qualifiers in Qatar, who would have thought that they, who would have thought that they, who have been ranked 70th in the world ranking for many years, are still "alive".
The next match, also the final of the European Zone play-offs, is their opponents ranked eighth in the world. The outside world is generally optimistic about the stronger side? Now that this is not the case, when they defeat two former World Cup champions in succession, the dark horse has become increasingly clear. This team is North Macedonia!
When the final whistle of Italy's home game against North Macedonia sounded in the early morning of March 25, many Italian players shed tears, and North Macedonia's players ran wildly to celebrate this seemingly impossible victory.
Throughout the match, the Italian team scored 32 shots on goal and North Macedonia 4 times. Just when everyone thought the game was going to go into extra time, in the 92nd minute, North Macedonia completed a super kill and eliminated Italy.
How strong is North Macedonia? After the expansion of the European Championship, North Macedonia advanced to the main competition, and they are already considered to be the masters of miracles.
In the match against Italy, only three players played in the five major leagues in north Macedonia's pre-match announcement, namely midfielder Elmas (Napoli), Baldi (Levante) and goalkeeper Dimitrevsky (Vallecano).
When it comes to stars from North Macedonia, it seems that more fans can only name one person, and that is Pandev.
However, it was such a star-studded team that defeated the powerful German team 2-1 away in the Group Stage of the World Cup European Qualifiers in Qatar!
Now, North Macedonia, which defeated Italy, is about to face Portugal led by C Ronaldo, but who dares to pat their chests and guarantee that Portugal will definitely advance?
Just like five years ago, who would have thought that North Macedonia would have what it is today?
In 2017, North Macedonia ranked 166th in the world rankings published by FIFA, and they are recognized as the masters of the fish belly.
In May 2018, North Macedonia struggled to improve the world ranking to 77th, while the Chinese men's football team ranked 73rd in the world in the same period, suppressing the other side.
In history, the Chinese men's football team has played against North Macedonia 5 times, winning 3 and drawing 2 to remain undefeated. Today, north Macedonia's latest ranking is only 67, and the Chinese men's football team is 75. In terms of rankings, the gap between the two teams is not large, but in terms of performance, the gap is really too big.
In the face of the mighty Portugal, can North Macedonia continue its miracle?