The quarterfinals of the European Cup kicked off, Italy vs. Switzerland, the last 5 meetings between the two sides, Italy won 1 and drew 4, maintaining an unbeaten record, and the last time Switzerland beat the "Blue Coats" was in the distant 1993, so the outside world is more optimistic about Italy winning, but the Swiss team should not be underestimated, they definitely have the potential of a giant killer.
In this campaign, Italy lined up 433 lineups, the forward combination was Chiesa, Scamacca and Shaarawy, and on the Swiss side, Ndoye, Embolo, Vargas's offensive configuration is also very strong, they scored 5 goals in the group stage, while Italy only scored 3 goals, it is worth mentioning that this knockout game Shaarawy started wingback, it is quite surprising and unexpected, you must know that he has played 9 years and 348 days since the last major tournament.
There will also be the performance of the goalkeepers on both sides, particularly Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has made 12 saves so far in this tournament and is in excellent form.
After the start of the campaign, the Swiss team showed a strong desire to attack, Italy was forced to defend, basically in the state of attack and defense at half time, the Swiss team made threats again and again, especially in the 23rd minute, Embolo got a single chance, he shot into the far corner, Donnarumma saved the ball sideways, if it wasn't for this brave play, Italy would have fallen behind.
However, this one-on-one shot did not seem to sound the alarm bell for the Italian defence, including a Swiss counter-attack, Barella tactical foul pushed down the opponent, and received the first yellow card of the game.
In the 37th minute of the game, the balance on the field was finally broken, Vargas slanted on the left, plugged in Frule unmarked, completed a wonderful stop and dial, and then volleyed from close range, strong hole through Donnarumma's ten fingers, Switzerland led Italy 1-0, this script may not have been expected by many fans. In fact, the score is also in line with the situation on the field after the start, and the Italian team is indeed too passive.
After the change of sides, Italy conceded another goal and finally lost 0-2 to Switzerland, and the defending champions were unfortunately out!