Cologne is no longer a cursed land for the Swiss team! Victorious 3-1 over Hungary for their start to Euro 2024, they exorcised the ghosts of the past.
This victory, which opens the doors to the round of 16, erases the memory of the mortifying elimination against Ukraine during the 2006 World Cup on the same pitch at the Müngersdorfer Stadion.
Switzerland owes this success to the inspiration of Murat Yakin. Scorers in the 12th and 45th minutes, Kwadwo Duah and Michel Aebischer were, in fact, the surprise guests of the starting eleven… And as happiness never comes alone, the “returner” Breel Embolo had to seal the score at the 93rd.
An absolute genius…
Murat Yakin, absolute genius or inveterate gambler? At the kick-off, the question arose with the unexpected tenures of Aebischer and Duah which led to the positioning on the right of Dan Ndoye’s attack while he had played as a left piston during the four friendly matches contested in 2024…
At the break, the answer given to this question was clear. The funny poker move attempted by Murat Yakin had succeeded beyond all expectations. We must of course praise the efficiency of the two scorers during this delightful first half.
But we should also salute the performances of Fabian Schär, Manuel Akanji, Ricardo Rodriguez and Granit Xhaka. The team’s executives responded when needed. Their technical and tactical mastery worked wonders against the Hungarians who did not pose a single danger in front of Yann Sommer’s goal during the first 45 minutes.
A tense end to the match
At the restart, the introduction of the now ex-Servettian Bendegüz Bolla demonstrated the opponent’s desire to react. But until the hour mark, the Swiss remained in complete control. Hungary finally gave a sign of life with a header from Barnabas Varga in the 63rd minute. Three minutes later, this same Varga appeared behind Aebischer to beat Sommer who was undoubtedly too restrained.
Even if they were not to concede any other chances, Switzerland went through a very tense end to the match until Embolo’s liberating goal. The AS Monaco striker was one of the entrants with Leonidas Stergiou, Zeki Amdouni, Vincent Sierro and Faban Rieder. While Xherdan Shaqiri remained on the bench. Does the one who had been so often decisive in major tournaments still have a future in the selection?
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
