Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
SWISS SWIZZ
It’s a crying shame as Michael’s men miss out on World Cup dream
NORTHERN Ireland players were reduced to tears as their World Cup dream was swept away in a downpour of rain and emotion in Basel.
Michael O’neill and his players won’t be in Russia, but they gave it a helluva go as the heavens opened over St Jakob Park.
O’neill’s eyes welled on the final whistle as he embraced his players on the pitch and he cut a disconsolate figure speaking half an hour after the game.
Painting a stark picture of the away changing room, he said: “The players are emotional and upset.
“There were some in tears and everyone was struggling to hold back their emotions.
“Emotions are very high and there is huge disappointment.
“For some of these players it’s unlikely the World Cup will come around again.”
O’neill’s dream of leading Northern Ireland to its first global tournament since Mexico 1986 fell prey to a scoreless stalemate in teeming rain beside the River Rhine.
The Swiss progress to next summer’s finals thanks to a 1-0 aggregate win and a penalty award in Belfast that will go down as one of the worst officiating blunders ever.
Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan’s place in the annals of Irish football nightmares is secure after Thursday’s aberration at Windsor Park.
The Shoulder of Evans doesn’t have the same ring to it, but for Northern Ireland players it will be right down there with Maradona’s Hand of
God this morning.
“The first emotion is devastation,” said
O’neill.
“Disappointment if we’d just lost, but devastation because of the way we lost and the goal that decided the tie.
“We’ve gone toe to toe with a very good side and it has been decided by a really poor decision and a penalty that should never have been.”
O’neill offered a weary smile when told Jonny Evans’ last gasp header to take the game into extra-time had been hacked off the line by Milan defender Ricardo Rodriguez. The same Rodriguez who scored Switzerland’s disputed winner from the penalty spot in Belfast. Did that add to the sense of injustice?
“The cruelty is in the poorness of the decision (in Belfast),” said O’neill.
“We are missing out on a chance to go to the World Cup. “We should still be playing (extra-time) now. “We were the better team tonight and the nature of the way we’ve gone out is extremely poor. “There is deep disappointment. We should still be playing for our place to go to Russia.”
Northern Ireland produced a much improved display from the first leg where they failed to register a shot on target.
The introduction of Conor Washington, George Saville and Jamie Ward added an extra zip in the final third, and Chris Brunt went close with long range shots in either half.
Washington also headed wide, while Evans went agonisingly close when his 91st minute effort was cleared off the line.
At the other end, Michael Mcgovern made several smart saves to deny Xherdan Shaqiri, Steven Zuber and lively substitute Breel Embolo.
O’neill said: “I thought the performance of the players was phenomenal.
“We asked them to continue to push and dream and they gave us that and more.
“As a manager you can’t ask for more.”
The first emotion is devastation. We’ve lost to a penalty that should never have been given.