EURO 2024 round of 16 fixtures Result: Switzerland 2-0 Italy
EURO 2024 round of 16 fixtures Result: Switzerland 2-0 Italy
Murat Yakin’s squad defeated Italy in Berlin, playing like a well-oiled club team, to advance to the UEFA EURO 2024 quarterfinals at the cost of the holders.
Though it took until the 24th minute for Switzerland to get a chance, they were successful in controlling possession thanks to a stealthy move by Breel Embolo, who got past Italy’s offside trap and forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into a save. They subsequently took the lead thanks to a fast surge from Vargas, whose left-wing penetrating ball found Bologna’s Freuler, who controlled the situation and struck low past Donnarumma.
With 400 total starting XI appearances, holders Italy (struggling to find holes in a well-drilled Swiss starting lineup with 723 caps between them) would have gone behind 2-0 at halftime if Donnarumma hadn’t deflected a free kick from Fabian Rieder onto the post and wide.
However, that second goal was not to be far off. Shortly after the restart, Michel Aebischer, another Bologna player, picked out an unguarded Vargas on the outskirts of the box. The 25-year-old then skillfully blasted across goal to hit the top corner.
When Fabian Schär’s defensive header looped against Yann Sommer’s post, the Swiss nearly gave their opponents a lifeline, but it was an uncommon mistake from a team that rarely looked rattled until Luciano Spalletti’s team threw caution to the wind in the closing minutes. The Swiss were a side that took chances but always had an out-ball. On minute seventy-four, Gianluca Scamacca clipped a shot against the woodwork, temporarily sending hearts racing. Switzerland, all else, made it seem simple.
Important Statistic
- The seven goals Switzerland has scored at EURO 2024 have come from a variety of players; at 32 years and 75 days, Freuler has surpassed Mario Gavranović’s record of 31 years and 216 days set at EURO 2020 to become Switzerland’s oldest goal scorer.
- Before this match (D6 L5), the Swiss had not won in 11 games against Italy since a 1-0 victory in a World Cup qualifier in May 1993.
- Since they were defeated 4-0 by Spain in the 2012 final of the European Championship, Italy has never before surrendered more than once in a World Cup or EURO finals match.
- After making it to the last eight at EURO 2020 for the first time, Switzerland has advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the second time running. In their past eighteen internationals, they have only lost one (W8 D9).
- For the first time since 2004, Italy has failed to advance to the quarterfinals of the European Championship; the defending champions, Portugal in 2020 and Spain in 2016, were eliminated in the round of 16 in each of the previous three tournaments.
- Since the inclusion of the group stage in 1980, Gianluca Mancini is the first Italian to debut in a EURO knockout game.