The Swiss can get their party started, although they might be feeling a bit sheepish as they do so. Yes, they possess more talent than Northern Ireland, but they were run mighty close tonight and were almost taken to extra-time. Yet Ricardo Rodriguez, who scored that controversial decisive penalty in the first leg, cleared Jonny Evans’s goalbound header off the line in stoppage time and broke Northern Irish hearts in the process. Michael O’Neill’s side can be proud of their efforts. They almost took advantage of a bit of Swiss complacency and wastefulness. In the end, however, they’ll look back at the penalty that shouldn’t have been and wonder about what might have been. That’s all from me. Thanks for emailing and reading. Bye.
Full-time: Switzerland 0-0 Northern Ireland (1-0 agg)
Switzerland are going to the World Cup!
90 min+4: Rodriguez curls it straight at Sommer.
90 min+3: Embolo wins a free-kick just outside the Northern Ireland area after slack play from Brunt.
90 min+2: Unbelievable.
90 min+1: Four added minutes. Northern Ireland have a corner. It’s cleared. Brunt puts it back into the area, Sommer misses it and Evans’s header is going in before Rodriguez wallops it off the line! Incredible!
Updated
90 min: Embolo fires over from 20 yards. Switzerland could do with some shooting practice before next summer.
89 min: Embolo speeds away on the left, but McGovern pushes his sot behind at his near post. “Very unjust if N. Ireland go out because of that shocking decision,” says Peter Ranell.
88 min: Embolo’s first act is to roll away from his man on the left, reach the byline and stab a cross back to Mehmedi, who can’t turn it in!
86 min: Breel Embolo replaces the hilariously blunt Haris Seferovic.
85 min: Zakaria bustles through the middle and opens Northern Ireland up with a pass to Seferovic. He leans back and lifts it over the bar. He has been shocking.
83 min: Switzerland are slightly hanging on to their advantage now. Northern Ireland chuck a long throw into the area. It flicks off Lichtsteiner, but Akanji boots clear.
82 min: Paddy McNair replaces Conor Washington. Gareth McAuley has gone up front. Hmm.
80 min: Remo Freuler replaces Shaqiri.
79 min: A booking for Jonny Evans for handball.
Updated
77 min: Seferovic flicks Shaqiri’s low corner wide at the near post.
76 min: Zuber fires over after taking down a long ball. It was deflected by McAuley.
75 min: Josh Magennis is on for Olivier Norwood and Jordan Jones replaces Jamie Ward.
73 min: The pitch has been reduced to a heap of mud.
71 min: “No soup fans out there, huh?” JR in Illinois says. “I make tons of soup for the six or seven months out of the year that it isn’t brutally hot here but would have trouble picking which I like best. Does chilli count as soup? I guess that’s a philosophical question. I’ve got an excellent white bean, kale, and roasted sweet potato soup in the fridge now. I’ve had a hankering for sweet and sour cabbage soup recently so that could be coming up soon. Off topic but I would say that if Northern Ireland want to be in the World Cup they should think about scoring a goal soon.”
Chilli does not count as soup.
69 min: Northern Ireland are on top at the moment. Switzerland are looking ropey and nervy.
67 min: A long free-kick is flicked on by McAuley to Dallas, who skilfully evades his man before sending a low cross into the middle. Schar diverts it behind. The corner comes to nothing. But they’ll have a second try.
65 min: Northern Ireland are running out of time. But they’re still in this.
61 min: Admir Mehmedi replaces Blerim Dzemaili. Northern Ireland get on with things. Washington superbly surges down the left and, suddenly, there’s precious space. The ball comes to Saville on the edge of the area ... but he scuffs a dire shot straight at Sommer. Gerry Armstrong lets out a low anguished moan.
60 min: Sommer comes off his line and just about claws a cross away from McAuley. Evans was also threatening.
57 min: Zuber escapes down the left and screws the ball across the face of goal. It only needed a touch. It didn’t get one because no one was there.
55 min: Dallas dashes down the left, but Schar slides in and deflects the ball off the winger and out for a goal-kick.
54 min: Xhaka carelessly concedes possession inside the Northern Ireland half and the visitors break. The ball’s brilliantly sprayed out to Ward on the right. He crosses for Washington, the only man in white in the Swiss area, but his looping header drifts just wide of the far post!
52 min: Shaqiri slithers a low ball into the six-yard box, but it’s cleared.
49 min: Rodriguez is invited to shoot from 25 yards. Almost. Just wide. Moments before, meanwhile, Schar was very lucky to escape after launching into a wild two-footed challenge on Dallas. He did similar on Thursday and this time a foul wasn’t even awarded. The defender got the ball, but he was out of control. That was a reckless leg-breaker.
47 min: Lichtsteiner runs and runs and runs, no one able to knock him off course, before he finds Zuber in space on the left of the area. He takes a touch and shoots, but another heroic block denies him! How many chances do Switzerland want?
46 min: Northern Ireland get the second half underway.
Half-time: Switzerland 0-0 Northern Ireland (1-0 agg)
Switzerland are 45 minutes away from World Cup qualification.
45 min+1: Brunt wafts the free-kick over.
45 min: Ward cuts inside from the right and Schar clumsily brings him down.
42 min: Switzerland carve Northern Ireland open with a beautiful series of one-touch passes, only for Xhaka to stray offside. He blazed over from close range anyway.
40 min: Switzerland counter, but Shaqiri is offside after being put through by Seferovic. Wasteful.
39 min: Northern Ireland have done a bit better in the last few minutes actually. Switzerland have grown a little frustrated and have given away a few silly free-kicks.
38 min: What’s your favourite soup?
36 min: Sorry. I started thinking about soup.
31 min: This is getting silly. Dzemaili locates Zuber in space on the left. He rolls the ball on to his right foot and misses by a hilariously wide margin. On Sky, Gerry Armstrong wonders if it’s going to be one of those days for Switzerland, which is a generous reading of events at the moment. A goal is coming.
28 min: Seferovic turns on the edge of the area and slips a pass through to Zuber on the left. He shoots low and hard with his left foot, but McGovern turns it behind with his outstretched left leg! Northern Ireland are living very dangerously here. They haven’t threatened for a lengthy stretch now and could be at least two down.
26 min: The initial corner’s cleared, but the jinking Shaqiri picks up possession again on the right. He flings in another fantastic cross and this time the wayward Seferovic, who’s completely unmarked, fluffs his lines by failing to make any contact at all with what should have been a simple header! Northern Ireland, unable to believe their luck, boot the ball clear.
25 min: Shaqiri isolates Brunt on the right, pushes the left-back into the area, moves on to his left foot and unleashes a low drive that McGovern bundles behind.
24 min: Zuber intercepts a stray pass on the left and curves a beautiful pass through to Seferovic, who takes a touch before hooking wide of the near post from a tight angle.
22 min: A lull. “I appreciate the correction from your reader in Illinois,” says Peter Oh. “And it’s delightful that JR is watching a match featuring Dallas! May this match offer as much drama as the classic 80s primetime soap opera.”
19 min: There are patches of brown everywhere and the ball isn’t holding up so much.
18 min: This pitch is cutting up badly.
15 min: Brunt has an ambitious pop from the left, but it’s straight at Sommer despite being struck sweetly.
14 min: Shaqiri, Switzerland’s Andros Townsend, cuts inside from the right again before trying to bend one with his left foot. Blocked.
12 min: Aaron Hughes nervously and awkwardly knocks the ball behind for corner. He couldn’t make up his mind about whether to clear the ball or play it back to McGovern. Instead it’s a corner for Switzerland. Northern Ireland get it away and Washington tries to play a pass through to Ward on the break. Lichtsteiner, the last man back, slides in to deny the winger. The visitors win a throw. The ball’s launched into the Switzerland area and cleared. Saville slashes a shot wide.
10 min: From Shaqiri’s cross, Seferovic heads off target again.
9 min: Zakaria bursts inside from the right and rattles a ball into the area. Zuber lays it off to Dzemaili, whose cutback has to be hacked behind by McAuley. Northern Ireland are all over the place at the back.
8 min: McAuley heads Shaqiri’s dangerous free-kick away from inside the six-yard box.
7 min: McGovern skews a simple clearance, badly mishitting the ball, but Hughes mops up before Zuber can capitalise. Switzerland keep going, though, and Brunt scythes down Lichtsteiner on the right. He’s booked.
5 min: Back come Switzerland. The ball’s whacked out to Shaqiri on the right. He’s immediately back on to his left foot, which sets him up for a wonderful fizzing cross on to Seferovic’s head. The striker’s totally unmarked but somehow he glances wide of the far post!
4 min: Norwood’s corner is cleared as far as Dallas, who rams one just over from 20 yards. Northern Ireland mean business here.
3 min: Ward is back on his feet and Northern Ireland are on the front foot. Chris Brunt finds space 25 yards out and lets fly with his fine left foot. Sommer flies through the air to push it over! It’s Northern Ireland’s first effort on target in the entire tie and it’s a very encouraging start from the visitors.
2 min: Conor Washington, who’s been included for his pace in behind, races on to a long ball down the inside right channel. He lays it back for Davis to launch a deep cross to the far post. Northern Ireland have two men over and Ward heads it back, but no one’s there. Switzerland clear and Ward stays down after taking an accidental blow to the head from Lichtsteiner.
Peep! Switzerland, in red shirts and white shorts, get us going, kicking from right to left in the first half. Northern Ireland are in white shirts and green shorts. Watch out for a few slips tonight. This has only kicked off after two match inspections. It’s been tipping it down in Basel all day.
The teams are out, the stadium’s full and it’s time for the anthems. Then: football!
“Peter Oh has confused Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri,” says JR in Illinois. “Maybe it’s because of the Xs in their names. Shaqiri is the one who arrogantly stated “It’s going to be a nice party when we qualify”. Xhaka is the one who told Northern Ireland to stop crying about that ridiculous penalty.”
“Northern Ireland have just as much right as Senegal did to ask FIFA for their game to be replayed after a terrible penalty decision,” says Paul Hobson. “In the Senegal case, at least the ball did come close to hitting the hand.”
Okay, but would I have to watch it again?
“I was neutral for this fixture but Xhaka arrogantly Russian to conclusions has given me reason to get behind Northern Ireland,” says Peter Oh
Dear
. “I can see the post-match headline now: ‘Xhaka Shocker as Norn Iron take full advantage of crack in Granit’.”
Aaron Hughes earns his 109th cap this evening, surpassing Bobby Moore’s tally. The former Aston Villa, Fulham and Newcastle defender is 38.
Switzerland are unchanged from the win at Windsor Park. Although Northern Ireland still reckon that Fabian Schar shouldn’t be available after that hack on Stuart Dallas.
Northern Ireland make four changes, Aaron Hughes, Conor Washington, Jamie Ward and George Saville coming in for Conor McLaughlin, Kyle Lafferty, Josh Magennis and the suspended Corry Evans. They’ll need to muster some kind of goal threat this evening. There was nothing up front on Thursday.
Team news
Switzerland: Sommer; Lichtsteiner, Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Zakaria, Xhaka; Shaqiri, Dzemaili, Zuber; Seferovic.
Northern Ireland: McGovern; Hughes, McAuley, Evans, Brunt; Ward, Davis, Norwood, Saville, Dallas; Washington.
Referee: Felix Brych (Germany).
Hello. Xherdan Shaqiri says that Switzerland are ready to get their World Cup party started. Granit Xhaka has told Northern Ireland to stop moaning about the ridiculous handball decision that settled the first leg. The feeling, ultimately, is that Ricardo Rodriguez’s penalty was the least the Swiss merited for their dominance at Windsor Park on Thursday night. For all the hubris, you can understand Switzerland’s smug sense of superiority. But still, put it all together and you can’t help but think it would be quite funny if Michael O’Neill’s men, fired by a burning sense of injustice, will summon the motivation to overturn the 1-0 aggregate deficit in Basel and reach their first World Cup since 1986. It’s unlikely - Switzerland are handy, in possession of an away goal and, quite simply, much better than Northern Ireland - but it isn’t impossible. It isn’t over yet.
Kick-off: 5pm GMT.
Updated
