Every day during Euro 2024, RTSsport takes you into its archives to relive a significant moment of the competition. Here we return to the 2008 edition, during which the Swiss hopes of shining at home were dashed.
The tournament promises to be beautiful. Switzerland, co-organizer with Austria, is hosting its first major sporting event since the 1954 World Cup. The fervor is there on June 7 at St-Jacques Park, as is the selection of Köbi Kuhn. In no way paralyzed by the challenge, she dominated the Czech team. But the nets do not shake and Alex Frei is injured just before half-time. Vaclav Sverkos gives the Czechs victory on their only big chance of the match. Four days later, the wildest hopes and beautiful promises were drowned under the downpours of water that watered the lawn of the “Joggeli”. Hakan Yakin certainly opens the scoring, but misses the KO in the process. Turkey turns the tide. Two matches, two defeats, 0 points. Switzerland is the first nation eliminated from its tournament. And the tears flow with the rain. The 2-0 victory against a Portugal already qualified thanks to a double from Yakin, the only Swiss scorer in this Euro, does not alleviate either the disappointment or the sad farewell of Köbi Kuhn, soon replaced by Ottmar Hitzfeld.
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