– Switzerland enters its tournament wonderfully by beating Hungary
What a vision of Murat Yakin! The coach surprised the Swiss public by starting Duah and Aebischer against Hungary on Saturday. They became the first two scorers in a valuable 3-1 victory.
Published today at 4:59 p.m.
With a goal and an assist, Michel Aebischer was the great architect of the victory of the Swiss team against Hungary for its entry into the Euro 2024.
AFP
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You had to dare. As he did against Portugal in the round of 16 of the 2022 World Cup, Murat Yakin pulled a rabbit out of his hat on Saturday for the Swiss team’s entry into the Euro. We know the collective disaster that resulted in Qatar. This time, no stroke of madness, but a stroke of genius, with two surprise starts who would become the two men of the match. For a precious 3-1 victory against Hungary in Cologne.
Perhaps everything has been clear in Murat Yakin’s mind for ages. A week ago, he offered Kwadwo Duah (27) his first friendly selection. On Saturday, he unexpectedly chose him in place of Zeki Amdouni to lead the Swiss attack. After 13 minutes, the Ludogorets scorer was forgotten by the Hungarian defense and inherited the 1-0 ball which he slipped easily into the net. This Switzerland, tormented by doubts for months, did not even need a quarter of an hour to unblock its counter in Germany.
Aebischer, the unexpected hero
In a Cologne stadium largely colored red (between 10,000 and 12,000 supporters seem to have come), Murat Yakin allowed himself a small crowd a few minutes before the start of the match. The gesture was premonitory. By choosing to do without Xherdan Shaqiri at kick-off without dropping his 3-4-3, he needed a man capable of occupying the left lane. Few would have bet on Michel Aebischer. It was the Fribourgeois who was entrusted with the role.
Result? A bright opening for Duah at 1-0. And just before the break, while Switzerland controlled the game but remained within reach of a twist of fate, a fantastic shot curled into the side net from Peter Gulacsi. 2-0, the Swiss held on to their victory. Which, in this 24-team competition format, already represents a huge step towards qualification for the round of 16.
On the other hand, a bad habit was not erased in Cologne: the tendency that Switzerland took to nosedive from the hour mark. There was an initial threat, then quickly the reduction of the score Hungarian (66th, Barnabas Varga), and the end of the match became particularly tense for Granit Xhaka and his partners. Until the returning Breel Embolo came off the bench and scored the winning lob (93rd, 3-1). The national team is off to a good start.
“Euro 2024”
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Florian Vaney has been a journalist in the Sport-Center editorial team since 2019. Trained in the regional press, he closely follows Swiss football, from the “bank” divisions to the Super League.More informations
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