Penalty misses against Switzerland will haunt me for rest of my life, reveals Jorginho
In light of Italy failing to make the cut for the 2022 World Cup, Jorginho has admitted that his two penalty misses against Switzerland during the first-round of qualifying will haunt him. The Italians had to beat North Macedonia to qualify for the next round but lost thanks to a late winner.
With Italy walking into the 2022 World Cup qualifying rounds as the Euro 2020 winners, many expected them to cruise through. But that wasn’t the case as the Italians proceeded to win their first three games in their qualifying group before drawing four of their next five to finish second in their group behind Switzerland. It meant that they would be forced to play a play-off round in order to reach the World Cup and were paired up with North Macedonia.
But a torrid game combined with Ciro Immobile’s lacklustre display in front of goal saw the game nearly inch towards extra-time before North Macedonia managed to score a winner in added time. It meant that the Azzurri were knocked out of the qualifying stages and won’t make the second World Cup in a row which has hurt Italian fans and players alike. So much so, that Jorginho has admitted that missing the two penalty against Switzerland, during their qualifying group, will haunt him.
“It hurts when I think about it, because I do still think about it and it will haunt me for the rest of my life. Stepping up there twice and not being able to help your team and your country is something that I will carry with me forever, and it weighs on me. People say we need to lift our heads and carry on, but it’s tough," Jorginho told RAI Sport.