Switzerland failed to break the Indian mark against Germany in front of a record crowd at the Letzigrund. The Swiss barrier, diligently put in place for almost a half, ended up giving way and the Mannschaft were able to enjoy themselves to win decisively 6-0.
40 MINUTES AND THEN THAT’S ALL. The Swiss did not hesitate for 40 minutes. Solid, combative, they closed the spaces to the Germans and conceded few clear chances. They could even have taken the advantage by negotiating a little better the few counterattacks that they have created. But Alisha Lehmann, Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic or even Sydney Schertenleib did not always make the right choices or offer the right calls. So serious for 40 minutes, the Swiss began to relax their attention just before the break. Two big opportunities offered to the Mannschaft resulted in two magnificent saves from Elvira Herzog. But the goalkeeper, for her first time in the shoes of the No. 1, was unable to prevent the opening score from a corner by Sjoeke Nüsken.
STAY IN THE LOCKER ROOMS. The goal conceded just before half-time hurt. Very bad. The Swiss seemed to have left their combativeness in the locker room for 20 minutes. The unfortunate finalists of Euro 2022 did not need to be asked. Laura Freigang, twice, and Lea Schüller took advantage of too passive defense, of a drifting left flank to score 2, 3, then 4-0. The match was over and the step once again seemed much too high. The two German goals added at the end of the match only confirmed it.
ABSENCES. Switzerland was obviously not helped by the numerous absences. Captain Lia Wälti and her ability to reassure her teammates, Luana Bühler and her punch in duels, Naomi Luyet and her madness, Géraldine Reuteler and her warrior temperament or even Ramona Bachmann and her art of keeping the ball were sorely missed. Bachmann, announced to have flu, will definitely leave the camp and will be replaced by Amira Arfaoui.
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HISTORY. If the absences naturally weighed on the Swiss team, it was also crushed by the weight of history. Sundhage’s selection had never beaten Germany in 18 confrontations (17 defeats and 1 draw), it had even developed the annoying habit of suffering real corrections against the Mannschaft. The 19th will therefore not have been the right one, quite the contrary. But the Swiss will perhaps manage to break the Indian sign on Tuesday against another opponent they have never beaten, England.
NEW RECORD. One of the only good things about this freezing November evening came from the stands. The Swiss selection set a new attendance record for a women’s match in Switzerland. No less than 17,306 people were present to alleviate the bitterness of a missed meeting but with a warm atmosphere and which was kicked off by “Maddli”, the official mascot of Euro 2025 presented in the morning in Geneva. The record had already been improved on October 25 in the same Zurich venue, packed with 14,370 fans, during the 1-1 draw against Australia.
>> Also read: “It hurts. Especially since we held on very well before the break,” laments Elvira Herzog
Zurich, Ludovic Perruchoud
Swiss
