the street to Russia for Northern eire has been pot-holed by means of incompetence. “Dare to Dream” is the slogan of their global Cup marketing campaign but the manner of defeat to Switzerland inside the play-off first leg will provide Michael O’Neill nightmares.
Northern eire have been 2d best on domestic soil and at the again foot for too long against a group ranked 11th inside the international. but they'd conceded few 665ffa919c35bfa66744e335c03b7855 probabilities to Switzerland while the Romanian referee, Ovidiu Hategan, ludicrously punished Corry Evans for a planned handball that never was.
indignant Michael O’Neill says penalty become worst selection he has ever seen
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The Blackburn Rovers midfielder blocked Xherdan Shaqiri’s volley with his returned but became by hook or by crook adjudged to have treated by means of an professional standing yards away. Ricardo Rodríguez’s assured penalty left Northern eire seething and dealing with a far flung prospect of qualifying for a international Cup for the primary time in 32 years. they will must grow to be the first team on the grounds that England in 2014 to win a competitive game in Switzerland to erase Hategan from the memory bank. A giant order, given their warring parties’ superiority at the night time.
“It was disgraceful,” said Corry Evans. “I truly didn’t put my hand up. It hit me at the back of the shoulder and that i’m certainly gutted. He’s booked me as nicely, because of this I’m out of the second one leg as properly, that is devastating.”
Corry’s older brother, Jonny, claimed Hategan’s choice was worse than the Thierry Henry handball that cost the Republic of ireland in 2009. “The ref has made a call that was not there,” he said. “It’s different if he didn’t see it. He’s claimed to look something that did now not happen which is the hardest part to take approximately it.”
Anger and a sense of injustice became justified. it may also be useful in the 2d leg providing resentment is channelled in the right manner, but there's no question that Northern eire must enhance on the performance right here. The great Denis Zakaria and Granit Xhaka controlled primary midfield and their team dominated ownership. As their coach, Vladimir Petkovic, put it: “If we had taken our possibilities we wouldn’t be talking approximately the penalty.”
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It changed into a raucous night earlier than the referee’s intervention. The sixteen,000 inexperienced and silver flags that the Irish football affiliation had commissioned have been waved 15 mins earlier than kick-off and were nevertheless flying by the time Hategan got things underneath way. Arguably the biggest game in Belfast for the reason that win over Israel in November 1981 that sealed Northern ireland’s passage to the arena Cup had an atmosphere worthy of the occasion. however this marked a go back to form for a Switzerland facet that had won all nine qualifiers earlier than slipping up at the closing in Portugal.
O’Neill defined the play-offs as suits that outline your career. His crew commenced brightly, urgent the Swiss into several errors with Fabian Schär accumulating an early reserving while he scythed down Stuart Dallas as he broke down the left wing. O’Neill claimed the defender need to had been despatched off for a challenge that changed into out of manipulate and made with feet off the floor. He made a legitimate argument.
increasingly more and ominously, however, Switzerland had sixty nine% of the ball within the first half and it wanted all the revel in of Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley in primary defence to hold them at bay. It became a remedy that Michael McGovern had confronted simplest one attempt on the right track with the aid of the c program languageperiod.
Northern ireland’s Steven Davis brings up ton but finds it hard
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Switzerland’s first possibility arrived when Rodríguez’s move became headed down into the path of Blerim Dzemaili. The unmarked forward appeared set to score from 10 yards out however Jonny Evans intervened with a essential block. Xhaka positioned the rebound inches over the crossbar from the brink of the place and the Arsenal midfielder cursed his success again moments later whilst any other lengthy-range shot simply ignored McGovern’s intention. The keeper then saved well from Haris Seferovic whilst he connected with Shaqiri’s fantastic go.
The Stoke metropolis playmaker became a fragment far from locating the top nook inside seconds of the restart because the pattern of the play-off remained unchanged. a hallmark left-foot curler from him sailed just over and there was some other reprieve for the home aspect when Dzemaili sent a low ball throughout the face in their intention and Seferovic turned into inches from changing at complete stretch.
Then came the moment that shattered Northern eire’s potentialities of taking a smooth sheet to Basel and will long linger within the u . s . a .’s list of footballing grievances. Rightly so.
Shaqiri changed into once more left unmarked as a crossfield ball dropped into his path 20 yards from goal and he took the shot optimistically first time but his volley struck Corry Evans and cannoned to protection. To wellknown astonishment, but, the referee pointed to the penalty spot. there was no cause, no planned handball and no prospect of having out of the manner had he so desired. Rodríguez left out the anger around him to ship McGovern the incorrect way from the spot