BELFAST, Ireland — Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans thinks the contentious penalty awarded for handball during his team’s 1-0 loss to Switzerland on Thursday was “a worse decision” than the Thierry Henry handball which deprived neighbouring Republic of Ireland a spot at the 2010 World Cup. A volley by Xherdan Shaqiri struck the shoulder of Evans’ brother Corey as the Northern Ireland midfielder attempted to block the shot. Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan pointed to the spot, sparking angry protests from the Northern Ireland players. “We should have scored more, (but) sadly we missed.”Switzerland dominated the match with a demonstration of one-touch football to pick apart the defence in the first half, helped by the fact that Northern Ireland afforded them far too much space. It’s been 31 years since Northern Ireland last played at a World Cup.

Source: National Post November 09, 2017 22:07 UTC