Drama in Italy and revelry in Switzerland. While the European champion was playing her qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Belfast, the Swiss team, which came to the last day as second in group C, dreamed of snatching the ticket to Qatar from the Azzurra 1,100 kilometers away, in Lucerne . Tied on points with Italy but with worse goal difference, the Swiss had the pass in their hand as long as they improved against Bulgaria the result of the Italians against Northern Ireland. Should they both win, Switzerland needed to do it by two more goals than Italy. Difficult, but far from impossible.
Switzerland came out convinced that qualifying for the World Cup was feasible and turned the match into a monologue where intensity and dizziness were the main part of the text. Only the good work of the Bulgarian goalkeeper Karadhzov and the post, who repelled a shot from Vargas after half an hour of play, prevented the Swiss from going to rest by sending on the scoreboard, in the group and sending a suitcase loaded with pressure to Northern Ireland, where Italy also went with a 0-0 draw at halftime.
However, that suitcase arrived in Belfast three minutes into the second half, when a header from Okafor to the center of Shaqiri put Switzerland ahead on the scoreboard and in the lead of the group. Ten minutes later, Vargas made it 2-0 and left her team just one goal away from depending on herself even though Italy managed to score at Windsor Park. There was still half an hour ahead.
The VAR annulled for offside two more goals by the Swiss who did nothing more than confirm what has been known for more than half a century: Italy has seven lives and you have to give everything and more to end it. But Switzerland ended each and every one of those lives and in 72 ‘Itten, with a header, scored the third goal that triggered euphoria at the Swissproarena in Lucerne, put his team in the Qatar World Cup and sent Italy to the play-off. Freuler, already in the discount, put the finishing touch to a party from which almost nobody expected such an end.