Deciding penalty ‘a worse decision’ than the Thierry Henry call in 2009, says Northern Ireland’s Jonny Evans
A contentious handball ruling leads to the winning goal for Switzerland in World Cup qualifying clash
Northern Ireland defender Jonny Evans thinks the contentious penalty awarded for handball during his team’s 1-0 loss to Switzerland 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. Ricardo Rodriguez duly converted in the 58th minute for an away goal that put Switzerland in a good position going into the return leg of qualifying for its fourth consecutive World Cup.
In 2009, striker Thierry Henry’s infamous and deliberate handball set up the goal that sent France to the 2010 World Cup at the expense of the Republic of Ireland. Evans thinks the call in Belfast was worse.
“It’s a worse decision because the referee has actually made a call,” Evans said. “It’s different if he didn’t see it, [but] he’s claiming that he did see something that didn’t happen, and that’s the hardest bit to take.
