After a two-day break, the 1/8 finals of the European Championship started in the early hours of this morning, in the first game, with goals from Freuler and Vargas, Switzerland defeated Italy 2:0 and advanced to the quarterfinals first, and their 1/4 final opponents were the winners of England and Slovakia. Defending champions Italy have conceded in eight consecutive matches, ending their 30-year unbeaten run against Switzerland and being eliminated from the competition.
In the group stage, Italy drew with Croatia and qualified as second in Group B, while Switzerland were drawn by Germany in the final round and qualified as second in Group A. In terms of historical encounters, the Italian team has an absolute advantage of 29 wins, 24 draws and 8 losses, and in the group stage of the last European Cup, Italy defeated Switzerland 3:0, and this game is also a revenge battle for Switzerland.
Switzerland 2:0 Italy
In the first half of the game, Switzerland had the advantage of possession at the beginning, and the possession rate even reached 8% at one point, but the Italian team defended tightly and the overall formation of the team retreated, and it was not easy for the Swiss team to get a chance to shoot. In fact, it is difficult for the Italian team to counterattack, and the Swiss team's defense is not covered, and the pressing in the midfield is very fierce, and it is very difficult to push the ball into front of the Swiss penalty area.
Bischel sent in a long ball and Embolo slotted in a one-handed shot into the far corner, but Donnarumma flew to save the ball and the Swiss missed a great chance to score. Chiesa burst into the box after a series of shakes and fired a shot from a tight angle that was blocked by Akanji, one of the few Italian shots on goal in the first half.
In the 37th minute, Vargas crossed from the left, Freuler stepped forward into the penalty area, and a volley was refracted into the net, Switzerland took the lead in breaking the deadlock on the field 1:0, and the Italian team has conceded goals in eight consecutive games. Just before half-time, Reid's free-kick shot went straight at goal, Donnarumma made a save and hit the post.
In the second half of the game, just 33 seconds into the game, after the Italian team made a passing error, Switzerland launched an attack on the left side, Vargas was unmarked in the penalty area, and easily shot into the far corner, Switzerland extended its lead 2:0, and the defending champion was forced into a desperate situation.
Italy fell behind by two goals and had no choice but to attack, the scene improved slightly, the Italian team crossed, Schell's header cleared, the ball hit the post and popped up, and the Swiss team almost scored an own goal. The Italian team is slow to attack, it is difficult to pose a threat to the Swiss team, and I feel that the Italian players are not motivated!
At full-time, Switzerland had 50% possession and 16 shots on goal with 4 on target, while Italy had 9 shots on goal and only 1 on target. The defending champions have conceded in eight consecutive games and conceded first in five consecutive matches.