Jonny Evans: Penalty injustice will motivate Northern Ireland

Switzerland beat Michael O’Neill’s men 1-0 at Windsor Park on Thursday thanks to a highly dubious penalty awarded against Jonny’s brother Corry Evans for handball.

Albion’s captain reckons it was a bigger injustice than in 2009, when Thierry Henry’s handball against the Republic of Ireland robbed them of a place in the World Cup.

"It was actually a worse decision because the ref has made a call that was not there," Evans said.

"It's different if he didn't see it. He's claimed he saw something that didn't happen which is the hardest part to take about it.

"In all of my career, this is a decision which has really hurt because it was a game of such magnitude.

"You can't really be 100 per cent sure if something has happened and I said that to him straight away. I said to him, 'Ref, you have to be 100 per cent here'. But it was too late, he had already given the decision and it's difficult to take.

"This will give us more motivation. Switzerland played very well and made it difficult for us.

"But we have to go for it and change our mindset on Sunday.

"It's a situation where if we get an early goal it puts us back in it. If we can take it to extra time then the away goals rule could play in our favour."

Chris Brunt was robbed of the chance to play in the European Championships last summer by a cruciate knee injury, and the Albion stalwart has once again been on the wrong end of bad luck.

But Brunt is refusing to give up on his World Cup dream.

"We didn't play as well as we could have," he admitted. "We're still in the game. I don't recall Michael [McGovern] having to make a save really.

"We're disappointed with the penalty. Obviously we disagree with it. Sometimes you get them sometimes you don't and tonight we didn't get it."

Northern Ireland face Switzerland in the second leg in Basel on Sunday at 4pm.