laitimes

2-0! The first upset in the round of 16: Switzerland beat Italy, and the defending champions were eliminated

author:Talking about football

Defending champions Italy lost 2-0 to Switzerland in the last 16 of the European Championships.

2-0! The first upset in the round of 16: Switzerland beat Italy, and the defending champions were eliminated
2-0! The first upset in the round of 16: Switzerland beat Italy, and the defending champions were eliminated

Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas scored in each half to give Switzerland their first victory over the Azzurri in 31 years and set the stage for the quarter-final against England or Slovakia in Düsseldorf on July 6.

The Swiss team dominated possession, shots, attacks and passes.

When Italy counter-attacked in the second half, Switzerland's aggressive defence was able to cope as manager Murat Yakin's tactical plan worked perfectly.

2-0! The first upset in the round of 16: Switzerland beat Italy, and the defending champions were eliminated
2-0! The first upset in the round of 16: Switzerland beat Italy, and the defending champions were eliminated

Freuler broke the deadlock in the 37th minute when he latched on to a pass from Vargas and then broke the back of the net that was held by Donnarumma.

Italian goalkeeper Donnarumma made a flying save just before the break to deflect Fabian Ridler's free-kick at the post.

At the start of the second half, Vargas curled a shot from the edge of the box into the top right corner.

2-0! The first upset in the round of 16: Switzerland beat Italy, and the defending champions were eliminated
2-0! The first upset in the round of 16: Switzerland beat Italy, and the defending champions were eliminated

In the end, Italy was unable to recover and lost 0-2, while Switzerland advanced to the quarter-finals.

Read on