The European champions seemed to have secured their World Cup ticket when Jorginho stepped up to the spot in the last minute of the game. But once again the 29-year-old’s nerves failed him – the big tremor begins for the Azzurri.
One or two will surely have immediately thought of the first leg when Jorginho stood by at the point on Friday night. Back then, just over two months ago, Berardi had been fouled. Jorginho stepped up, but shot weakly into Sommer’s arms – the score remained 0-0, Italy missed the preliminary decision for the group win, which would clinch their World Cup ticket.
The Azzurri were under pressure in the second leg against the Swiss, who were level on points, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, and a defeat would have put Switzerland ahead. After falling behind early on, the European champions fought their way back into the game in the first half and held on to the draw until the final stages – then came the drama: as in the first leg, Berardi was fouled and Jorginho again stepped up to the spot – the only difference was that the 90th minute had already elapsed, so a goal for Italy would probably have won them a ticket to the World Cup.
Mancini: “If he felt like it, it was right “
But the horror déjà vu for Jorginho became perfect: Similar to Bochum keeper Manuel Riemann a week earlier against Hoffenheim, the midfielder thundered the ball into the Roman night sky, the game ended 1-1
Jorginho was on the verge of tears immediately after his miss, but was backed up by his team-mates and coach Roberto Mancini after the match: “Jorginho? He’s a penalty taker. If he felt like it, he was right to take the shot, “ Mancini said. Leonardo Bonucci was also clear: “He is our shooter and he will remain so. We all make mistakes, but we have to look forward. “
Under pressure in Belfast
And that “forward”, for the Azzurri, means Belfast. Northern Ireland await the European champions there on Monday, while Switzerland host Bulgaria at the same time. Should the Italian team fail, Mancini’s team will probably have to sit out the play-offs. Even a big win by the Swiss could force Italy into the play-offs.
