Northern Ireland v Italy (15/11/2021)

WORDS: DARREN FULLERTON DAILY MIRROR

RISING TO THE OCCASION

Italy’s 1-1 draw with Switzerland in Rome on Friday night leaves the two top seeds locked on 15 points at the top of European Qualifying Group C. And that means Roberto Mancini’s men, who have lost just one of their last 40 outings, need to win to be certain of topping the group and qualifying automatically for Qatar. “To be honest , I don’t think it matters that much because Italy have the type of players who go into every game wanting to win,” said Cathcart . “Yes, they need a result , but they always want to put on a performance, so I don’t think their approach will change that much.” Since beating Northern Ireland 2-0 in the group opener in Parma in March, Italy have gone on to be crowned European champions. “I was very impressed by Italy at the Euros,” said Cathcart . “And since we played them in March I think they’ve actually improved. “The intensity they played with was impressive. They suffocated a lot of teams with the way they kept the ball and pressed the game. “Looking back at our game with them, we struggled a little bit in the first half and they went 2-0 up, but we had two or three chances in the second half and could have come away with something. “It wasn’t to be in the end, but I think we can take confidence from the way we played against them in the second half in Parma.”

The Watford defender was part of a Northern Ireland team that shocked Fabio Capello’s Russia with a 1-0 win in a memorable World Cup qualifier eight years ago. He also played in a 3-1 win over Greece in 2015, a famous result that secured former boss Michael O’Neill and his players a place at the Euro finals in France the following summer. But it remains the case that the last time Northern Ireland delivered a knockout blow to one of Europe’s big hitters was a 3-2 win over Spain in 2006. Germany and the Netherlands have both visited the National Stadium at Windsor Park in recent times and left with wins or a point in their back pocket . The Dutch survived a missed Steven Davis penalty to salvage a scoreless draw in a Euro 2020 qualifier, while Die Mannschaft eked out 3-1 and 2-0 wins in both previous campaigns. “Those are the ones that stick in your mind,” said Cathcart ahead of tonight’s high profile date with the Azzurri, who beat England on penalties in the Euro final in July. “In the second Germany match we could have gone in at half-time in the lead and we were also unfortunate in the Holland match. It finished 0-0 and we missed a penalty. “Italy are one of the top nations so it’s going to be really tough, but Windsor Park has seen some massive results in the past and we want to try and take that big scalp. “The top nations have found it difficult here in the past and these are the games you want to play in, against the best nations in front of our own supporters. We’re playing the European champions so it’s going to be a big occasion for the players and everyone at the game.”

IRISHFA.COM

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