Switzerland beat Italy 2-0 in Berlin to reach the Euro 2024 quarter-finals for the second tournament in a row.
Remo Freuler opened the scoring in the 37th minute after a lethargic start to the game, as Murat Yakin’s side capitalised on an off-tempo Italian side.
The second half kicked off with Luciano Spalletti’s side desperately in need of a way back into the game, but were stunned by a Ruben Vargas wonder strike just seconds after the restart.
The Swiss dominance continued, the game stumbling to its close with little threat created from the holding Champions, Switzerland qualifying for the quarter-finals where they will face either England or Slovakia.
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Switzerland are a force to be reckoned with
The group stages have made it clear that the Swiss are a force to be reckoned with, holding Germany to a 1-1 draw, matching their matchday two result against Scotland, which came after a 3-1 win over Hungary.
Intensity and control of their play against Italy led to a game which lacked the flow of a knockout tie, with Italy appearing to have no intention of getting back into the game. This was not by their own making; Switzerland controlled the game with a relentless ease which gave the impression that Gli Azzurri simply did not show up.
The most incredible part of that is the fact that Italy actually had more possession of the ball and more corner kicks, creating just one big chance less than their opponents in Red. The general feeling throughout the game, however, was that Yan Sommer was threatened little.
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The Italians lacked belief
At the full-time whistle, the cameras panned across various shots of players from both sides. What was most notable was the reaction of the Italy players. Whilst some looked upset and all appeared disappointed, there was little surprise on any of the Italian faces.
Spalletti was forced to offer multiple players their tournament debuts, the absence of key defensive stalwart Riccardo Calafiori proving to be a key issue.
The reaction to the initial Switzerland goal, and the speed in which Italy found themselves two goals down after halftime suggested that their minds were elsewhere. They just never got into the game.
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Swiss moments of magic are not hard to come by
In knockout football, the tight nature of games can mean that a moment of individual brilliance has the ability to be defining. The Swiss have always had players capable of creating these moments, and Vargas stepped up to deliver the goods this time around.
The Augsburg winger received the ball just inside of the box before he opened his body up to curl a looping effort beyond the reach of Gianluigi Donnarumma. The most exciting part of this goal for Switzerland fans, there are multiple players capable of these moments.
Xherdan Shaqiri is no stranger to a wonder strike, Breel Embolo epitomises the spirit of the fanatic Swiss fanbase, and Granit Xhaka has always been capable of the sublime.
The Swiss have the ability to find a way through and that might just make the difference for them in the quarter-final.
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Italy are between generations
It happens to all national teams, take Croatia for example. The talented crop of top level players begins to faze out as new and exciting prospects emerge.
However, between those stages, the passing of the baton can see a squad of relatively average talent put forwards to compete on the biggest stages.
The main issue for Italy in this tournament was the lack of cutting-edge in their squad. It lacked a depth that other nations such as Spain and France have in abundance.
The lack of a goalscoring forward was always going to cause issues, especially in tournament football where clinical finishers who are able to find the net with little service can carry sides late into the knockouts.
Italy’s time will come again, but this was a tournament too soon for the Champions whose defence has well and truly been breached.