The Swiss came within a step of qualifying for the World Cup in Russia - thanks, to say the least, to a controversial penalty against Northern Ireland in Belfast.
During Shaqiri's shot, the ball hit Kori Evans in the shoulder. Romanian referee Ovidiu Hategan was so confident it was a penalty that he even booked Evans, who will miss the second leg in Switzerland on Sunday.
"We feel like victims," lamented Northern Ireland coach Michael O'Neill.
The Swiss are better than Northern Ireland, but they won from a penalty that should not have been awarded.
"It's unbelievable that in this day and age, at this level, when the stakes are so high, things like this happen," added the Northern Ireland coach, whose selection is seeking their first World Cup berth since Mexico 1986.
It is also clear to the Swiss that they reached victory due to a wrong decision by the referee.
"I didn't know at the time if it was a penalty or not. I tried to shoot, the opposing player blocked me, I didn't see if he used his hand. But the referee pointed to the penalty. That's football...", he said. Xherdan Shaqiri.
If this was, for example, 2019, the Swiss would not have taken the penalty, the score would have remained 0:0.
FIFA has not yet approved the use of video technology to assist referees in World Cup qualifiers. There is still a dilemma whether the VAR system, which is used in some leagues, such as the Italian Serie A, the German Bundesliga, or the American MLS, will be used at the World Cup in Russia next year.
"It is very difficult to comment on the whole case. Instead of talking about a great block by a defensive player, we are talking about a penalty," said Cory Evans' brother, Johnny Evans, a former Manchester United player and current West Bromwich Albion defender.
It is well known that UEFA and FIFA protect their referees, so information about the possible punishment for the Romanian referee will not be released to the public. Hategan, however, is unlikely to officiate at the World Cup. Even if he was in the competition, the detail from the 52nd minute of the match in Belfast will definitely remove him from the list.
"This hurts, this really hurts. In order to make such a decision, you have to be 100 percent sure that it is a penalty. I told the referee that to his face, I asked him if he was sure that it was a penalty. But it was too late. , he's already played," Corey Evans pointed out.
Despite everything, in Belfast they still believe that Northern Ireland can go to the World Cup.
"No matter what happened, and no matter how unacceptable it seemed, we have to forget this penalty. Nothing was lost, we have the quality and the will to try to make up for the defeat on our field in Switzerland," said coach O'Neill.
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