Switzerland kicks poor Italy out of EURO
The current champion says goodbye with a 2-0 in the round of 16 and a very bad image
MADRID, 29 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Saturday, the Swiss team reached the quarter-final round of the Euro 2024 that is being held in Germany by beating Italy (2-0), a well-deserved ticket for the Swiss with the goals of Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas in the Berlin Olympic.
Despite being the reigning champions, Italy was not expected to make it to the final rounds of the tournament, but their farewell was even more resounding than could have been expected from a team with a long history. Murat Yakin’s men ran over their prestigious rivals, just as they did three years ago against France in the round of 16.
Switzerland had clear ideas. They bit hard, had possession, had a lot of movement and participation in offensive play and only lacked a bit of precision to create more danger. On the other hand, Italy, who miraculously advanced to the round of 16 in the 98th minute against Croatia, left much to be desired from their attitude. Luciano Spalletti’s men were spectators of the match for almost the entire 90 minutes.
The Italians didn’t have much of a chance to hold the ball for long, and they had no chance to counter-attack, but they did have a chance to do so after 15 minutes in their own half. However, Embolo soon had a clear chance, which was set up by Donnarumma in a one-on-one. With deep flanks, Switzerland suffocated the champions, with Xhaka distributing the play until Freuler appeared from behind to make it 1-0.
Italy went into the locker room with a lot of work to do, but came back just as horrible or worse, with a loss that facilitated the counterattack and Vargas’ 2-0. A great goal with the complicity of an unrecognisable ‘azzurri’, without blood to at least rebel against a defeat that seemed inevitable. Almost as a gift, a clearance to the post of their goal by Schar, Italy gets into the game, but this time there was no faith in the miracle nor were they faithful to their feisty history.
It took a long time for Italy to put the blow of the 2-0 defeat to one side, a team in transition after missing two World Cups, and they did not find the quality of Chiesa, Fagioli or Barella, who was one of those substituted. The changes gave them some presence in the opposition half, with Scamacca sending the best shot to the post, but Switzerland also knew how to work in a low block and come out with a Xhaka who was the master and lord.
Switzerland dethroned Italy, their first victory over the ‘Nazionale’ since 1993, to await England or Slovakia in the quarter-finals of EURO 2024. Meanwhile, with less than a year under Spalletti’s command, Italy fuelled doubts about a project that left through the back door in Berlin.
DATASHEET.
–RESULT: SWITZERLAND, 2 – ITALY, 0. (1-0, at half-time).
–LINEUPS.
SUIZA: Sommer; Rieder (Stergiou, min.72), Schar, Akanji, Rodríguez, Aebischer (Steffen, min.92); Freuler, Xhaka; Vargas (Zuber, min.71), Ndoye (Sierro, min.77); y Embolo (Duah, min.77).
ITALY: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Darmian (Cambiaso, min.75); Cristante (Pellegrini, min.75), Barella (Retegui, min.64); Chiesa, Fagioli (Frattesi, min.86), El Shaarawy (Zaccagni, descanso); y Scamacca.
–GOALS:
1 – 0, min.37, Freuler.
2 – 0, min.46, Vargas.
–REFEREE: Szymon Marciniak (POL). He cautioned Barella (min.35), El Shaarawy (min.45), Mancini (min.57) in Italy.
–STADIUM: Berlin Olympic.