At 0:00 on June 30, Beijing time, the first match of the 1/8 finals of this European Cup started at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. Fruller scored in the first half and Vargas scored in the second half as Switzerland eliminated defending champions Italy 2-0 to secure their first win in 31 years and advance to the quarter-finals.
These two teams have met many times in recent years. In the last European Cup, the Italian team defeated the Swiss team 3-0 in the group stage, and the Swiss team beat the Italian team to win the first place in the World Cup qualifiers, which indirectly made the Italian team miss the World Cup.
In the thrilling group stage, Italy coach Spalletti made a number of personnel changes, Faggioli started in place of Jorginho, the culprit who was out of the World Cup, Scamacca returned to the center, and Shaarawy ushered in the start. Changing generals on the spot, a taboo for soldiers, Spalletti's whole work obviously dug a big hole for the Italian team.
Swiss coach Yakin was clearly more prepared, focusing on Chiesa on the left and Barella in the middle. The Swiss team's pressing after the opening game was very fierce, and the Italian team could only retreat, trying to squat and hold back, but with Barrera showing physical discomfort in the confrontation shortly after the game, this expected counterattack was impossible to talk about.
The Swiss team controlled the absolute initiative on the field, and Embolo and Ndoye's excellent scoring opportunities were saved by Donnarumma, however, Donnarumma alone could not save the Italian team.
In the 37th minute, Vargas passed a flat ball from the left side of the penalty area, and Fruller, who followed up in the middle, stopped and shot in one go, although Donnarumma struggled to save the ball, but Nai's strength was too great, and the ball still crashed into the left corner of the goal, and the Swiss team took a 1-0 lead.
In stoppage time of the half, Donnarumma saved Reid's free-kick to keep Italy's hopes of a comeback. In the second half, Spalletti replaced the inactive Shaarawy with Zaccagni, overkill, ready to counterattack.
Unexpectedly, just 27 seconds, Xhaka split the ball diagonally, and Vargas shot a right-footed shot into the far corner from the left side of the penalty area, and the ball went straight into the dead corner on the right side of the goal, and Donnaru couldn't reach it. Switzerland is 2-0 up and the big picture is decided.
It wasn't until the 74th minute of the game that Italy had a decent attack, but it was no longer helpful, and the final score was 0-2, the defending champions were out, and the Italian team missed the quarterfinals of the European Championship for the first time in 20 years.
After the 2022 World Cup qualifiers made the Italian team embarrassed and out, the Swiss team broke the dream of the Italian team to defend the title, and sprinkled another handful of salt on the wound.