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North Macedonia Hands Germany First World Cup Qualifying Loss in Nearly 20 Years

North Macedonia earned the biggest win in the nation's short history with a 2-1 away win against Germany, handing the 2018 world champions their first World Cup qualifying loss since September 2001.

Germany entered the match on a 35-match unbeaten streak (31-0-4) in World Cup qualifying, but 65th-ranked North Macedonia put a scare into four-time World Cup winners at the end of the first half when former Inter Milan star Goran Pandev, the nation's all-time leading scorer, put the underdogs ahead.

It seemed like only a matter of time before Germany would awaken, and when Ilkay Gundogan converted a penalty in the 63rd minute, the North Macedonian dream appeared to be over.