DThe material for the next Italian tragedy was ready when the final minutes of Ukraine’s game against the Squadra Azzurra began on Monday evening. The BayArena, which was almost completely filled with some 6,000 Italians and significantly more Ukrainians, was shaking. The hopes of many people who had fled the war home to take part in the European Championships were mixed with the fear of the reigning European champions that they would not be able to qualify again. Italy has already missed out on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, while the tournament in Qatar went ahead without its proud football nation due to a goal against North Macedonia in the second minute of stoppage time. Trauma that suddenly became omnipresent.
The second minute of added time arrived when Mikhail Mudrik and Francesco Acerbi made contact in the Italian penalty area, for which the referees, if there were compelling arguments, could have awarded a penalty. A 1:0 victory would push Italy out of direct qualification for the Ukrainians.
Source: Frantfurter Allgemeine
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