Dhe captain knew immediately what to do. And so Leonardo Bonucci ran to Jorginho, straightened him up and pulled him to him. On the one hand, he did this to show that he was there in this difficult moment to give consolation, on the other hand, the game wasn’t over yet. There was no time for long mourning. Italy international Jorginho had just chased the ball from the penalty spot over Yann Sommer’s Swiss goal and looked down on the floor in disbelief, as if that was where the fault had been to be found for the missed shot. The score was 1: 1. A goal in the 90th minute would have been an almost certain victory.
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And not only that. With three points in a duel with their worst rival in the World Cup qualifying, the Italians would have had the ticket for the finals as good as in their pockets. But now Italy and Switzerland are tied for the final game day. The European champions will compete in Northern Ireland on Monday (8.45 p.m. at DAZN), while the Swiss will receive Bulgaria at the same time. If both are still tied afterwards, the goal difference decides. Here Italy is currently two hits better than Switzerland with a difference of eleven.
In the showdown for first place in Group C, it is even possible that in the end both teams are tied on points and goals, for example if Italy wins 1-0 and Switzerland 3-0. Then the direct comparison made the difference. He speaks for Switzerland. The 0-0 win in Basel in September was followed by the 1-1 draw in Rome. The away goal by Silvan Widmer from Mainz 05 on Friday evening in the eleventh minute of the game with a heavy shot from the back area would give the Swiss the decisive advantage. Giovanni Di Lorenzo equalized with a header from close range after a free kick (26 ‘).
Jorginho shoots over the goal
In a game that was then tactically shaped, the turbulent final phase came. After substitute former Bremer and Nürnberger Ulisses Garcia hit Domenico Berardi, the English referee Anthony Taylor decided on a penalty kick on the advice of his video assistant. But Jorginho missed. The native Brazilian missed a penalty in the first leg in Switzerland. At that time, the Gladbach summer stopped the attempt. Now the goalkeeper didn’t have to intervene much. Jorginho chased the ball up towards the fan curve in the Olympic Stadium in Rome.
And the drama wasn’t over yet. After a careless mistake by Gianluigi Donnarumma on the other side, the ball jumped from the goalkeeper to substitute Andi Avdi Zeqiri (90 + 3). But the Augsburg striker was too surprised, only spooned under the ball and did not fit it into the Italians’ goal from a few meters. So the European champions were ultimately lucky in misfortune. If the Swiss should pass on Monday, Italy will have to go to the playoffs. And they haven’t had any good experiences with them. The Squadra Azzurra missed the 2018 finals in Russia there.
Missed shot in the 90th minute: Jorginho does not hit Yann Sommer’s goal.
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Image: Reuters
A 0: 1 in Sweden was only followed by a goalless draw in Milan. The world championship took place without the four-time champion. It was an embarrassment. And times were different. The scene from the second leg, when the defensive midfielder Daniele De Rossi was supposed to be sent to warm up by a supervisor, is legendary, but he refused and pointed to Lorenzo Insigne’s offensive power because he believed the idea of the overwhelmed coach Gian Piero Ventura to be completely wrong. After all, Italy needed a goal. And an attacker is probably better suited than him.
Ventura is long gone. Roberto Mancini took over three years ago and led the team to the European throne during this time. The football world admired the Italians in the summer for their style of play and the dedication that could be felt every minute. But now the great nerve game awaits Mancini on the way to Qatar. Missing another world championship would give even the successful coach a big scratch in the vita. Captain Bonucci reassured everyone: “Now we’re going to Belfast as a team, as a group, as a family and we’re going to win the World Cup.”
But Jorginho will still have something to nibble at his missed shot. He was considered a sure shot. He missed a penalty in Naples in 2017, but from September 2020 onwards it got hooked again and again. He missed three penalties for his current club Chelsea. At the European Championships, he made decisive changes in the semifinals against Spain, but missed in the final against England. That wasn’t bad, Italy took the title. But the security is gone. After the European Championship, Europe’s footballer of the year failed twice against Switzerland. “He was our shooter and felt good,” said Mancini.
That could change. Of the Technical commissioner is considering giving another player the mandate: “He’s having a little hard time right now. I’ll talk to him, let’s see what he thinks. We’d probably switch if we got another penalty, ”said Mancini on Friday, but defended Jorginho:“ He’s an important player for us. ”The fact that he appeared in the situation at all should be credited to him. “He dared to do it, it takes guts.” The colleagues also helped verbally: “Jorginho is a great champion,” said goal scorer Di Lorenzo. Monday will show whether Italy is also a great champion.
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