O’neill places his future on hold after ‘devastating’ blow

A “devastated” Michael O’neill insisted he would be in no rush to make a decision over his future with Northern Ireland as the manager raged over the “cruelty” of a controversial first-leg penalty that ultimately ended his country’s World Cup dream.

O’neill also urged his veteran players Gareth Mcauley, Aaron Hughes, Chris Brunt and Jamie Ward not to make any “rash decisions” over their own international futures amid fears this could be the end of an era for Northern Ireland.

Ricardo Rodriguez’s second-half penalty at Windsor Park last Thursday was enough to secure Switzerland’s passage to next summer’s tournament in Russia after referee Ovidiu Hategan had incorrectly punished Corry Evans for handball.

O’neill struggled to contain his emotions as he batted away questions about his future.

“No, I haven’t even considered that [my future],” he said. “I am under contract until 2020 so tonight is about being with my players and spending time with them and making sure they are OK.

“I said to the players there is no need to make any rash decisions on anything they want to do. They have given everything. It’s a difficult time and they will make decisions going forward, certainly the likes of Aaron and Gareth at 38 and 37 [respectively] and Chris Brunt.

“These players have had long and established Northern Ireland careers but for me, they have time to make that decision. We don’t have a qualifier until next March. I myself am not thinking any further ahead than just being with the players.”

O’neill cut a crestfallen figure as he reflected on the cruelty of Northern Ireland’s exit. “The first emotion is almost devastation,” he said.

“It would be disappointment if we’d just lost but it’s devastation because of the way we lost and the goal that decided the tie.

“The cruelty is in the poorness of the decision. We’re missing out on a chance to go to the World Cup when we should still be playing right now. Yes, the Swiss were the better team in the first leg but they hadn’t scored [before the penalty]. We were the better team tonight.

“The nature of the way we’ve gone out is extremely poor. We should still be out on the pitch now fighting for our place to go to Russia. We’ve gone toe-to-toe with a very good side. It was decided by a real poor decision and a penalty that should never have been.

“The performance was phenomenal. We continued to push and dream. That’s what we asked and they gave us that and more. As a manger you can’t ask for more.

“After 5½ years in charge, this is a devastating moment but in terms of character from your team it’s also a high point. The players are emotional and upset. There were some in tears, everyone was struggling to hold back their emotions.

“You can’t compare the two legs and performance. The first leg it was tense and tactical. We didn’t deal with that as well as we could have done but what we got was a reaction. This game was less tactical, more emotional, it was about character and being brave.

“For some of these players it’s unlikely the World Cup will come round again.

“The stakes were so high. It contributed to a magnificent match for a 0-0 between two teams who had so much to gain.”