Italy's hopes of qualifying directly for next year's World Cup were dashed as they produced another uninspired performance and were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Macedonia in their qualifier on Friday.

The result, coupled with Spain's 3-0 win over Albania, ensured that Italy will finish second in Group G, almost certainly guaranteeing them a place in a two-leg playoff for a place in Russia next year.

Giorgio Chiellini put Italy ahead five minutes before halftime but the hosts were stunned when Aleksandar Trajkovski levelled in the 77th minute.

Italy have 20 points in Group G and are set to finish as one of the best eight runners-up who progress to the playoff round from the nine European groups. The group winners all qualify directly.

Italy's Ciro Immobile looks for an opening in the Macedonia defence.Italy's Ciro Immobile looks for an opening in the Macedonia defence.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.