North Macedonia's surprise win away to Italy in their World Cup playoff semi-final last week set up an unexpected clash against Portugal with the country's Prime Minister offering the squad 500,000 euros ($549,300.00) if they reach the 2022 tournament.

The result shocked the soccer world and derailed a possible clash between the last two European champions Italy and Portugal, who both surprisingly missed out on automatically qualifying from the group stage for the World Cup in Qatar.

After the playoff draw the headlines were all about the expected drama of one of the two soccer powers missing out on the finals with so many top players in their squads and how a likely playoff showdown between them would be full of drama.

But North Macedonia did not follow the script and knocked four-time World Cup winners Italy out of contention.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/fifa-begins-talks-over-alternative-proposals-to-biennial-world-cup-plan-466692">FIFA begins talks over alternative proposals to biennial World Cup plan</a>

Portugal meanwhile survived late drama in their playoff semi-final as they beat Turkey 3-1 after visiting striker Burak Yilmaz missed a penalty five minutes from the end that could have forced extra time at Porto’s sold-out Dragao stadium.

Italy did not have such luck in Palermo, losing 1-0 after an added time Aleksandar Trajkovski goal silenced the crowd at the Renzo Barbera stadium who watched in disbelief as the opposing bench ran onto the pitch to celebrate victory with the players.

North Macedonia, who featured at Euro 2020 in their first appearance at a major tournament since the break up of Yugoslavia three decades ago, will now face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in another packed stadium in Porto on Tuesday.

The 50,000 tickets for Tuesday's game at the Dragao stadium were sold out in a few hours amid huge expectations&nbsp;from local fans as Portugal bid for a place at the global tournament.

Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, who last year went to the Vatican to ask Pope Francis to pray for the team, went onto their plane on Sunday to wish the squad goodbye before they left for Porto and promised to reward them if they reach the finals.

BIGGEST ALLY

Macedonia coach Blagoja Milevski's biggest ally as they prepare to face Portugal will probably be the fact that their opponents have no idea what approach his team will take.

"To be honest, we don't really know what to expect next Tuesday," Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva told a news conference on Sunday, explaining that they were surprised at how differently Macedonia played in their previous matches.

Milevski explained their approach before the Italy clash, telling reporters: “Every game is unique, so anything can happen. I don’t have any specific pattern I like to follow.

“Of course, we are not at the same level as Italy yet but we're not here as a fluke and we expect to put in a great performance. I want my players to go out there and enjoy themselves.”

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/north-macedonia-clash-matter-of-life-and-death-want-hell-breaking-loose-at-stadium-cristiano-ronaldo-466678">North Macedonia clash matter of life and death, want hell breaking loose at stadium: Cristiano Ronaldo</a>

And they did just that as they produced an upset for the ages that surprised the Portuguese as much as Italy.

"I won't lie, we were all expecting it was going to be Italy (in the playoff final)," Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho told a news conference on Saturday.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos is very much aware of the quality of their opponents, pointing out that North Macedonia won four of their last five World Cup qualifiers on the road.

"They won in Germany and in Italy. To say they are weaker is the wrong way of approaching this game," Santos said on Monday.

"We'll face North Macedonia with the same mentality as we would have against Italy. I know it’s the game of their lives, but it's also ours too. We can't afford missing the World Cup."

North Macedonia's surprise win away to Italy in their World Cup playoff semi-final last week set up an unexpected clash against Portugal with the country's Prime Minister offering the squad 500,000 euros ($549,300.

North Macedonia's surprise win away to Italy in their World Cup playoff semi-final last week set up an unexpected clash against Portugal with the country's Prime Minister offering the squad 500,000 euros ($549,300.00) if they reach the 2022 tournament. The result shocked the soccer world and derailed a possible clash between the last two European champions Italy and Portugal, who both surprisingly missed out on automatically qualifying from the group stage for the World Cup in Qatar. After the playoff draw the headlines were all about the expected drama of one of the two soccer powers missing out on the finals with so many top players in their squads and how a likely playoff showdown between them would be full of drama. But North Macedonia did not follow the script and knocked four-time World Cup winners Italy out of contention. ALSO READ: FIFA begins talks over alternative proposals to biennial World Cup plan Portugal meanwhile survived late drama in their playoff semi-final as they beat Turkey 3-1 after visiting striker Burak Yilmaz missed a penalty five minutes from the end that could have forced extra time at Porto’s sold-out Dragao stadium. Italy did not have such luck in Palermo, losing 1-0 after an added time Aleksandar Trajkovski goal silenced the crowd at the Renzo Barbera stadium who watched in disbelief as the opposing bench ran onto the pitch to celebrate victory with the players. North Macedonia, who featured at Euro 2020 in their first appearance at a major tournament since the break up of Yugoslavia three decades ago, will now face Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in another packed stadium in Porto on Tuesday. The 50,000 tickets for Tuesday's game at the Dragao stadium were sold out in a few hours amid huge expectations from local fans as Portugal bid for a place at the global tournament. Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, who last year went to the Vatican to ask Pope Francis to pray for the team, went onto their plane on Sunday to wish the squad goodbye before they left for Porto and promised to reward them if they reach the finals. BIGGEST ALLY Macedonia coach Blagoja Milevski's biggest ally as they prepare to face Portugal will probably be the fact that their opponents have no idea what approach his team will take. "To be honest, we don't really know what to expect next Tuesday," Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva told a news conference on Sunday, explaining that they were surprised at how differently Macedonia played in their previous matches. Milevski explained their approach before the Italy clash, telling reporters: “Every game is unique, so anything can happen. I don’t have any specific pattern I like to follow. “Of course, we are not at the same level as Italy yet but we're not here as a fluke and we expect to put in a great performance. I want my players to go out there and enjoy themselves.” ALSO READ: North Macedonia clash matter of life and death, want hell breaking loose at stadium: Cristiano Ronaldo And they did just that as they produced an upset for the ages that surprised the Portuguese as much as Italy. "I won't lie, we were all expecting it was going to be Italy (in the playoff final)," Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho told a news conference on Saturday. Portugal coach Fernando Santos is very much aware of the quality of their opponents, pointing out that North Macedonia won four of their last five World Cup qualifiers on the road. "They won in Germany and in Italy. To say they are weaker is the wrong way of approaching this game," Santos said on Monday. "We'll face North Macedonia with the same mentality as we would have against Italy. I know it’s the game of their lives, but it's also ours too. We can't afford missing the World Cup."

North Macedonia PM offers 500,000 euros to players if they upset Portugal to reach World Cup finals

With a spot on the line for what could be his fifth and final World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo needs to avoid an upset like the one that ended Italy's hopes of making it to the tournament in Qatar.

Portugal faces a winner-take-all game on Tuesday against North Macedonia, the team that shocked Italy last week to keep the four-time champions out of the World Cup for the second straight time.

"We were surprised," Ronaldo said Monday.

"North Macedonia has surprised in many matches. But I don't think they will surprise us tomorrow. Portugal will play better and we will make it to the World Cup."&nbsp;

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/canada-beat-jamaica-4-0-to-bring-an-end-to-36-year-long-wait-for-a-spot-in-fifa-world-cup-466296">Canada beat Jamaica 4-0 to bring an end to 36-year long wait for a spot in FIFA World Cup</a>

Portugal is trying to reach its sixth straight World Cup, and Ronaldo is hoping to play in his 10th consecutive major tournament after appearing in four World Cups and five European Championships since 2004.

"We know that if we win we will go to the World Cup and if we lose we are out,"&nbsp;he said.

"We have the responsibility to be positive and win the match. I see everyone well prepared and wanting to be at their best tomorrow."

Ronaldo is the only player to have scored at least once in the finals of nine top tournaments in a row.

The highest scorer in men's international soccer, Ronaldo would be 41 by the time of the next World Cup if Portugal doesn't qualify to play this year in Qatar.

The Manchester United forward didn't want to talk about the possibility of a World Cup without him.

"There is no World Cup without Portugal,"&nbsp;Ronaldo said.

"There are no individualities here."

Ronaldo said he is starting to hear repeated questions about his future and made it clear he is the only one who can make a decision on that.

"If I feel like playing, I will keep playing," he said.

"If I don't, I won't."

Portugal advanced to the game against North Macedonia by beating Turkey 3-1 in Porto on Thursday, when the visitors squandered an 85th-minute penalty kick that could have erased a two-goal lead from the first half. The Portuguese added their third goal in injury time.

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Portugal had been forced into the playoffs after conceding late and relinquishing a lead last year in the final group game against Serbia.

North Macedonia, which gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, is trying to make it to the World Cup final for the first time. It made its first appearance in the European Championship last year.

Aleksandar Trajkovski's surprising winner against Italy on Thursday came in the second minute of stoppage time in Palermo. North Macedonia had also beaten Germany a year ago in its European qualifying group, in which it finished second to the Germans.

Portugal coach Fernando Santos will have a more complete squad for the match&nbsp;in Porto as defenders Pepe and Jo'o Cancelo are back after missing the game against Turkey. Pepe had tested positive for COVID-19, while Cancelo was suspended.

With a spot on the line for what could be his fifth and final World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo needs to avoid an upset like the one that ended Italy's hopes of making it to the tournament in Qatar.

With a spot on the line for what could be his fifth and final World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo needs to avoid an upset like the one that ended Italy's hopes of making it to the tournament in Qatar. Portugal faces a winner-take-all game on Tuesday against North Macedonia, the team that shocked Italy last week to keep the four-time champions out of the World Cup for the second straight time. "We were surprised," Ronaldo said Monday. "North Macedonia has surprised in many matches. But I don't think they will surprise us tomorrow. Portugal will play better and we will make it to the World Cup." ALSO READ: Canada beat Jamaica 4-0 to bring an end to 36-year long wait for a spot in FIFA World Cup Portugal is trying to reach its sixth straight World Cup, and Ronaldo is hoping to play in his 10th consecutive major tournament after appearing in four World Cups and five European Championships since 2004. "We know that if we win we will go to the World Cup and if we lose we are out," he said. "We have the responsibility to be positive and win the match. I see everyone well prepared and wanting to be at their best tomorrow." Ronaldo is the only player to have scored at least once in the finals of nine top tournaments in a row. The highest scorer in men's international soccer, Ronaldo would be 41 by the time of the next World Cup if Portugal doesn't qualify to play this year in Qatar. The Manchester United forward didn't want to talk about the possibility of a World Cup without him. "There is no World Cup without Portugal," Ronaldo said. "There are no individualities here." Ronaldo said he is starting to hear repeated questions about his future and made it clear he is the only one who can make a decision on that. "If I feel like playing, I will keep playing," he said. "If I don't, I won't." Portugal advanced to the game against North Macedonia by beating Turkey 3-1 in Porto on Thursday, when the visitors squandered an 85th-minute penalty kick that could have erased a two-goal lead from the first half. The Portuguese added their third goal in injury time. ALSO READ: India end Bahrain outing with 3-0 loss to Belarus in international friendly Portugal had been forced into the playoffs after conceding late and relinquishing a lead last year in the final group game against Serbia. North Macedonia, which gained independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, is trying to make it to the World Cup final for the first time. It made its first appearance in the European Championship last year. Aleksandar Trajkovski's surprising winner against Italy on Thursday came in the second minute of stoppage time in Palermo. North Macedonia had also beaten Germany a year ago in its European qualifying group, in which it finished second to the Germans. Portugal coach Fernando Santos will have a more complete squad for the match in Porto as defenders Pepe and Jo'o Cancelo are back after missing the game against Turkey. Pepe had tested positive for COVID-19, while Cancelo was suspended.

Portugal ready to avoid an upset: Cristiano Ronaldo after North Macedonia dump Italy out of FIFA World Cup

This year's Australian Open has made headlines for one of the major upsets in the tennis world. In one such instance, Tommy Paul beat Grigor Dimitrov in a well-fought match.

The 22-year-old Paul played his career-defining tennis to sustain Dimitrov's comeback in the match.&nbsp;

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Last year, <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyPaul1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TommyPaul1</a> lost in qualifying. 
 
12 months on, he's into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AO2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AO2020</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/MUWRExQqRv">pic.twitter.com/MUWRExQqRv</a>
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/1219904710494179329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2020</a></blockquote>
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American took a two-set lead over Dimitrov, but the Bulgarian had no plans to go down without a fight, he fought back well and won the remaining two sets.&nbsp;

It all came down to the deciding set where the World No 20 (Dimitrov) was outplayed by World No 80 (Tommy Paul).&nbsp;

Paul applauded the crowd who voiced their support for him while the match was on“I've never been a part of something like that, honestly. A lot of fun playing in front of all you guys. Towards the end of the fifth, it was you guys who got me through it,”.

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"I've never been a part of something like that" 
 
<a href="https://twitter.com/TommyPaul1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TommyPaul1</a> is PUMPED!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AO2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AO2020</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> <a href="https://t.co/IiGYxdXjLF">pic.twitter.com/IiGYxdXjLF</a>
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/1219905789311229952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The match ended with the scoreline of 6-4, 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (10-3).

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🚨 UPSET ALERT 🚨 
 
American <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyPaul1?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tommypaul1</a> takes down 18th seed Dimitrov in an epic five-setter, 6-4 7-6(6) 3-6 6-7(3) 7-6(3). 
 
It's the first third round appearance at a slam for Paul.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AusOpen?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AusOpen</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AO2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AO2020</a> <a href="https://t.co/WCmfcxK0Ll">pic.twitter.com/WCmfcxK0Ll</a>
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) <a href="https://twitter.com/AustralianOpen/status/1219901901568905217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2020</a></blockquote>
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“I've never really played back-to-back best-of-five matches. I guess if you're going to have a second one, why not go 7-6 in the fifth?” said Paul after the match ended.

Paul will now face Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, who beat Jannik Sinners 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

This year's Australian Open has made headlines for one of the major upsets in the tennis world. In one such instance, Tommy Paul beat Grigor Dimitrov in a well-fought match.

This year's Australian Open has made headlines for one of the major upsets in the tennis world. In one such instance, Tommy Paul beat Grigor Dimitrov in a well-fought match. The 22-year-old Paul played his career-defining tennis to sustain Dimitrov's comeback in the match. Last year, @TommyPaul1 lost in qualifying. 12 months on, he's into the third round of a Grand Slam for the first time#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/MUWRExQqRv — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2020 × American took a two-set lead over Dimitrov, but the Bulgarian had no plans to go down without a fight, he fought back well and won the remaining two sets. It all came down to the deciding set where the World No 20 (Dimitrov) was outplayed by World No 80 (Tommy Paul). Paul applauded the crowd who voiced their support for him while the match was on“I've never been a part of something like that, honestly. A lot of fun playing in front of all you guys. Towards the end of the fifth, it was you guys who got me through it,”. "I've never been a part of something like that" @TommyPaul1 is PUMPED!#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/IiGYxdXjLF — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2020 × The match ended with the scoreline of 6-4, 7-6(8), 3-6, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (10-3). 🚨 UPSET ALERT 🚨 American @tommypaul1 takes down 18th seed Dimitrov in an epic five-setter, 6-4 7-6(6) 3-6 6-7(3) 7-6(3). It's the first third round appearance at a slam for Paul.#AusOpen | #AO2020 pic.twitter.com/WCmfcxK0Ll — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2020 × “I've never really played back-to-back best-of-five matches. I guess if you're going to have a second one, why not go 7-6 in the fifth?” said Paul after the match ended. Paul will now face Hungary's Marton Fucsovics, who beat Jannik Sinners 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

Australian Open: American Tommy Paul upsets Grigor Dimitrov

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