In the early morning of June 30, in the first knockout match of the just-concluded 2024 Euro 2024 1/8 finals, the defending champion Italy faced a strong challenge from the Swiss team. In the first half, Switzerland broke the deadlock and led 1-0 through Freuler; In the second half, Vargas assisted Switzerland to extend the score gap to two goals, and Vargas played very well today, helping Switzerland defeat Italy 2-0 with a pass and a shot, and took the lead in advancing to the quarterfinals of this European Championship, and the defending champion Italy dreamed of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.
Italy coach Spalletti lined up a 433 formation in this game, and greatly rotated the starters, and six players including Shaarawy, Faggioli, Cristante, and Scamacca were bound to start.
The referee blew the whistle and the game began, with defending champions Italy wearing the blue jersey and Switzerland wearing the red jersey, attacking from left to right. In the first 15 minutes of the game, neither side organized a good attack. In the 16th minute, Italy won a corner kick and did not form a shot. In the 19th minute, Barella's free kick was picked up into the penalty area, and Di Lorenzo's left-footed shot was unsuccessful and was signaled offside by the referee. On 23 minutes, Reid's through ball set up Embolo's one-on-one shot, whose right-footed shot was saved by Donnarumma. In the 25th minute, Italian Chiesa Jr. shot after breaking through on the left side, but the lack of strength was blocked by the Swiss defender, and the corner kick did not form a shot. In the 37th minute, Vargas cut inside on the left and crossed, Faggioli defended poorly, and Floyler stopped the ball and scored to give Switzerland a 1-0 lead. In the 43rd minute, Italy won a free kick in front of the goal, and hit the wall directly. Before half-time, Reid's free-kick was blocked by Donnarumma, and Italy were 1-0 down, with 10 first-half shots on goal from Switzerland, compared to just once. At the end of the first half, Switzerland led Italy 1-0.
In the second half, the two sides changed sides and fought again, and less than 30 seconds into the beginning, Vargas broke through to the penalty area with the ball and easily hit the goal, extending the score to 2-0. In the 51st minute, Switzerland's Fabian Schell's header back ball almost caused an own goal, and the ball hit the post, causing goalkeeper Sommer to panic. After that, Italy made a personnel change after falling behind by two goals, and Spalletti brought Retegui on the pitch. However, the team's performance on the field is still conservative, and the Italian team seems to only defend and not attack. In the 68th minute, Italy won a corner kick, and the ball was passed to the penalty area and was cleared by the defender. In the 74th minute, Italy's Scamacca had a chance to shoot at the back of the penalty area, but hit the ball on the post, and Italy missed a good chance to score. In the 83rd minute, Swiss striker Jubell's shot was slightly wide. In stoppage time, Italy's shot went high. At full-time, Switzerland won 2-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals. Defending champions Italy dream of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany.
Looking at the whole game, the Swiss team was ahead of the Italian team in all statistics, and the offensive firepower was undiminished. Italy, on the other hand, did not get good support from their strikers and could not organise an effective attack. The lack of marking at the back allowed the Swiss to score with ease. With this victory, the Swiss team ended their winless streak against Italy. The first to qualify for the quarterfinals of the European Championship.