Switzerland started their Euro 2024 first-round knockout campaign in style with a convincing 2-0 victory over defending champions Italy in Berlin on Saturday.
After more than 30 minutes of deadlock, Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler broke through the Italian defense and scored in the 37th minute, followed by a powerful shot from midfielder Ruben Vargas, who had assisted the first goal, to give Switzerland a 2-0 lead early in the second half.
The win was also an upset in terms of rankings, with Italy currently ranked 10th and Switzerland 19th in the FIFA rankings.
Both Switzerland and Italy finished second in their group stages, earning five and four points respectively. The results of Italy’s final two games – an own-goal loss to Spain and a 1-1 draw with Croatia – were particularly frustrating for the defending champions.
Italy won the 2020 European Championship, which was postponed for a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic and held in the summer of 2021, defeating strong countries such as Belgium, Spain, and England. They won the cup after defeating Spain in the semi-finals and England in a penalty shootout in the final. Despite this victory, Italy has missed out on qualifying for the past two World Cups.
The win put Switzerland equal with their best European result to date, a place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020. They will next face the winner of Sunday’s match between England and Slovakia.
Host nation Germany beats Denmark to advance to final
Germany beat Denmark 2-0 to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2024. Goals from Kai Havertz and Jamal Musiala propelled the hosts into the final, where they will face the winner of the match between Spain and Georgia in the next round.
In Dortmund, Germany, the first half was suspended for 22 minutes due to thunderstorms and the game ended in a scoreless draw.
Denmark appeared to have taken the lead in the 48th minute with a goal from Joachim Andersen, but the goal was ruled out for offside – the semi-automatic offside system used in the tournament meant it wasn’t a goal, but the call was harsh.
A few minutes later, the referee confirmed Andersen’s handball, putting Denmark at a disadvantage again and giving Germany a penalty.
48th minute: Joachim Andersen’s goal is disallowed.
51 min: Joachim Andersen handles the ball in the penalty area, giving Germany a penalty.Brutal few minutes for Joachim Andersen and Denmark 😬 pic.twitter.com/CW7pls67JX
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 29, 2024
Havertz beat goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to give Germany a 1-0 lead.
Musiala doubled Denmark’s lead 14 minutes later to seal the victory.
Germany will now be well rested before their quarter-final in Stuttgart on July 5.
