Title holder Italy did not convince in the first round and must stop the procrastination: a Switzerland in great shape challenges it on Saturday at the Olympiastadion in Berlin (6:00 p.m.) in the first round of 16 of Euro-2024 . In the other 8th of the day, Germany will try against Denmark, at BVB Stadion Dortmund, to regain its status as a feared nation in major tournaments, which has evaporated since the 2018 World Cup and three missed competitions.
The two matches of the day will be followed respectively at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. (GMT+1).
Italy tossed around, Switzerland ambitious
It’s all in attitude. Italian coach Luciano Spalletti appeared extremely nervous after the match against Croatia (1-1). The one who led Naples to the Serie A crown in 2022-23 has multiplied the acid propositions towards journalists.
The press was not kind to his team, but the content of the two matches against Spain and Croatia revealed a hard-working “Nazionale”, easily dominated and tossed around according to events.
The coach himself seems to be groping to shape his tactical plan and his typical team. Emblematic of two zero-goal center forwards, Gianluca Scamacca and Mateo Retegui, a first in a major tournament for Italy since 2008.
So much so that on Friday, the Gazetta dello Sport dedicated its front page to Paris SG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, with the headline “Pensaci tu” (“You take care of it”). “Captain Gigio is one of Spalletti’s few certainties but he has to score goals,” summarizes the great sports daily.
The doorman wants to be pugnacious: “Many people have discredited us, but we have come out of the group of death, that makes us optimistic.”
Opposite, Switzerland, which is coming out of a delightful and unexpected group stage, including a draw against Hungary (3-1) and a narrowly missed feat against Germany (1-1), which equalized in added time.
The Murat Yakin-led side is building on the dazzling form of three Bologna players – Michel Aebischer, Dan Ndoye and Remo Freuler – and Leverkusen midfielder Granit Xhaka.
It is therefore now or never for the “Nati” – who is the opponent that Italy has faced the most, without ever losing in 31 years. SATURDAY, “this is a new chapter in our rivalry with Italy”, emphasized Murat Convinced.
In 2021, the Swiss had placed Roberto Mancini’s men in a delicate situation with two draws in the qualifying phase for the 2022 World Cup. With a missed penalty by Jorginho, who had counted in the subsequent setback in the play-offs, where Italy would experience the humiliation of being eliminated by North Macedonia…
Germany impatient, Denmark well organized
Since their Euro 2016 semi-final in France, lost in Marseille against the host country (2-0), Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany has not tasted the joys of a quarter-final in a major competition. Eight years, an eternity for the Mannschaft!
The defending champion when she arrived in Russia in 2018, she saw her tournament end in the group stage, an identical ending four and a half years later in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. In the meantime, she had stopped in the round of 16 of Euro 2021 against England.
Three major tournaments in a row without Germany in the last four is something unheard of since 1954. Gary Lineker’s famous phrase, repeated at every opportunity, “And in the end, Germany wins,” took a big hit.
Nagelsmann is very wary of Denmark, semi-finalists of the last Euro, “a team which is very well organised”.
But with only two goals scored (far from Germany’s eight) and three draws in the first round (1-1 against Slovenia then England, 0-0 against Serbia), Kasper Hjulmand’s players took second place in their group in extremis (fair play!)
They showed their defensive solidity but also their limits in attack, like their match against the Serbs and their difficulty in creating dangerous opportunities for the opponent.
