Jorginho reveals he is still hurting over Italy’s World Cup disaster as Chelsea midfielder shares emotional social media message saying ‘my sorrow is bigger than you imagine’
- Italy missed out on a second successive World Cup after a shock play-off defeat
- European champions were beaten 1-0 at home by North Macedonia last week
- Jorginho blamed himself for the failure after missing two penalties in qualifying
Jorginho says he’s still struggling to come to terms with Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar.
The Chelsea midfielder blamed himself for his side’s failure to reach a second successive World Cup after missing two penalties in qualifying.
The European champions then suffered a shock 1-0 home defeat by North Macedonia in a play-off last week.
Jorginho blamed himself following Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar this year
The Italy and Chelsea midfielder shared an emotional social media message on Thursday
Jorginho wrote on Instagram: ‘In life and football, you can win or lose. But there are defeats that are more painful than others. Believe me, my sorrow is bigger than you imagine.
‘Football is not just a sport, it’s a school of incredible values. It teaches you to never give up, learn from mistakes, remain united in tough moments.
‘To wear this jersey is a huge honour for me. We learn and get up. Let’s move on. Forza Azzurri Forza Italia.’
Jorginho admitted his missed penalties in qualifying will haunt him for the rest of his life.
North Macedonia stunned the European champions with a 1-0 win in the play-off semi-final
The Chelsea midfielder had the chance to give four-time World Cup winners Italy victory over Switzerland which would have put his team on the brink of qualification, but blazed his late spot-kick over the bar in a 1-1 draw in November.
Jorginho also missed a penalty in the 0-0 stalemate between the two sides earlier on in Group C of World Cup qualifying.
‘We played good football, we won the European Championship last summer, but unfortunately in the last few games we made small errors and were unable to recover from them. They made the difference,’ a tearful Jorginho told RAI Sport .
‘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.’
Aleksandar Trajkovski scored in the 92nd minute to earn a stunning win for North Macedonia
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