Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas scored the goals in Switzerland’s first victory against Italy since 1993. Coach Murat Yakin’s team will face England or Slovakia in the quarter-finals.
Ruben Vargas celebrates his 2-0.
Mahmut Serdar Alakus / Anadolu / Getty
(sda) The story of the Swiss national team at the European Championships in Germany continues. In the round of 16, Murat Yakin’s team beat Italy 2-0.
Like three years ago, Switzerland reached the European Championship quarter-finals. And like three years ago (victory in the penalty shootout against France), they defeated a great football nation on the way there. And how! Italy, four-time world champion and two-time European champion (most recently in 2021), were really outplayed in the first half.
The fact that Remo Freuler scored the goal that put Switzerland in the lead after a long and unsuccessful attack was probably something like fate. Not only because the 32-year-old rarely receives the recognition he actually deserves as Granit Xhaka’s “side man”. But above all because Freuler has had difficult days behind him.
An actually harmless statement from him, who plays for Bologna, was presented in the Italian press in such a way that Freuler suddenly found himself confronted with many attacks on social media. Freuler had pointed out that Switzerland had finished ahead of the Italians in the World Cup qualifiers, who then missed the tournament. One media outlet claimed to have detected a mocking undertone, which led to Freuler and his family being insulted below the belt. The Zurich native, who has lived in Italy for almost eight years with a brief interruption, felt compelled to publish an apology.
The fact that he was now able to give an answer on the pitch was obviously good for Freuler. The tension of the past few days was released in a sprint, a jump over the boards and a shout of joy. The 71-time national player has rarely been seen like this.
Vargas’ artistic shot into happiness
The lead could hardly have been better deserved. Few could have imagined that Switzerland would dominate Italy so much. In fact, the Azzurri were unable to cope with the Swiss’ strong pressing. Often it was only two or three passes before the Swiss regained possession of the ball.
The only flaw for a long time was the utilization of opportunities. And when Breel Embolo was suddenly able to go alone with goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma, he probably had too much time and shot too imprecisely.
Ruben Vargas showed how to finish with precision after about half a minute in the second half. He calmly took the ball on his right foot at the left corner of the penalty area and flicked it into the far corner of the goal. It was also a relief for the 25-year-old winger, who often fought passionately but without luck in this tournament. He was the sixth Swiss goal scorer in total at this tournament; no one has ever scored twice.
And what happened next is quickly summed up: Switzerland confidently defended its lead throughout the game. Italy hardly had any chances, and the Swiss defense only had to tremble briefly when Fabian Schär’s header clearance attempt landed on his own post.
Reward for pulling together
For the Swiss national team, the victory against Italy is a coup and the reward for an overall strong tournament performance – on and off the pitch. The players, especially coach Yakin and captain Xhaka, have pulled themselves together after the weak European Championship qualification and found a common path.
The team has become a unit and has recognized that it has a great chance with the “championship axis” around Yann Sommer, Manuel Akanji and Granit Xhaka. During the preparation in St. Gallen, the players already emphasized the high intensity and quality of the training. Side issues such as the poor training ground in Stuttgart or the still unclear future of coach Yakin were deliberately ignored in order to concentrate on the big goal.
The official requirement was to reach the knockout phase. But since this had always been achieved over the last ten years, it was clear that only reaching the quarter-finals would trigger the real euphoria. The Swiss have now achieved this! They will stay in Germany for at least another week and will face England or Slovakia in Düsseldorf next Saturday (6 p.m.).
Switzerland – Italy 2:0 (1:0).
Berlin. – 68,172 spectators. – Referee: Marciniak (POL). – Tore: 37. Freuler 1:0. 46. Vargas 2:0.
Switzerland: summer; Schar, Akanji, Rodriguez; Ndoye (77. Sierro), Freuler, Xhaka, Aebischer (92. Steffen); Rieder (72. Stergiou), Vargas (72. Zuber); Embolo (77. Duah).
Italy: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Darmian (75. Cambiaso); Cristante (75. Pellegrini), Fagioli (86. Frattesi), Barella (64. Retegui); Church, Scamacca, El Shaarawy (46. Zaccagni).
Remarks: Switzerland without Widmer (suspended). Italy without Calafiori (suspended). 45. Rieder hits the post. 52. Schär’s header hits his own post. 74. Scamacca hits the post. Warnings: 35. Barella, 45. El Shaarawy. 57. Mancini.
