In a tightly contested match in Group A, neither team could find the winning goal to take all three points.
Scotland started the brighter of the two teams, with Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay opening the scoring on the 13th minute mark.
Switzerland then seemed to wake up following the goal, piling pressure on the Scottish defence and eventually finding their breakthrough in the 26th minute after Xherdan Shaqiri capitalised on a Anthony Ralston error to find the net from long range.
The rest of the game was a cagey affair, with both teams fashioning the occasional chance, but neither side could find their way past Yann Sommer or Angus Gunn in their respective goals.
Gunn was the Player of the Match after making three hugely important saves to keep Scotland’s hopes of progressing through the group stages alive.
Going into this tournament, many believed that Shaqiri would take a smaller role in the Swiss team as the 32-year-old is now playing at a lower level as he starts to wind down in his career.
However, Shaqiri was the man chosen to lead the line against Scotland, with Kwadwo Duah finding himself on the bench for Murat Yakin‘s side, despite scoring the Swiss Nati‘s opening goal of the tournament against Hungary.
In the 26th minute, Shaqiri proved why he had been chosen when his long-range curling effort nestled in the top left corner of the Scotland goal. The strike was taken wonderfully, with Shaqiri becoming the first player to score in the last six consecutive international tournaments – an incredibly impressive feat.
Scottish fans already knew this as the Manchester United man is one of The Tartan Army’s key players in the attack. However, at club level, McTominay often finds himself playing deeper and having to cover the defensive line.
This is not his role and the game against Switzerland proved just that, with McTominay showing that he was the best outfield player on the pitch.
When given the freedom to progress play and attack more, McTominay looks like a much more confident player. This confidence is something that Scotland will need to continue into the final group game against Hungary if Steve Clarke’s men have any chance of qualifying to the knockout rounds.
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The Scotland party is not necessarily over
A win against Hungary in the final group game could well see Scotland book their place in the Round of 16 this summer. Before the tournament started, Steve Clarke stated that four points would be enough to see his side go through as one of the four best third-placed teams.
People were not expecting Scotland to get a result against the tournament hosts Germany, and many were expecting a similar performance against Switzerland – but the passion and heart shown from Clarke’s side earned themselves a well-deserved point in Cologne. This could prove crucial to their progression into the knockout stages.
Scotland require a win against Hungary to stand any chance of making it through and the Magyars have not looked particularly impressive in the tournament so far, making this a high possibility.
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Murat Yakin’s side have work to do
For Switzerland, 1-1 is a disappointing result, with many believing that the Swiss Nati should have been able to outclass Scotland.
This leaves Switzerland with work to do in the final group game where they play the hosts Germany in Frankfurt. The Rossocrociati should be through with their tally of four points, but they will look to safely confirm their place with a result on Matchday three.
Regardless of what happens on Sunday, The Swiss Nati have work to do before the knockout stage games as a performance like the one against Scotland will likely see them knocked out of the competition against a stronger opponent.
This tournament is important for Swiss head coach Murat Yakin as poor form going into the tournament has led to immense pressure being put on his job, with many Swiss fans and media outlets believing that he needs to deliver a strong tournament showing if he is to remain in charge.