At 0:00 a.m. Beijing time on June 30, 2024, the knockout stage of the European Championship kicked off, and the first game ushered in the highlight, Switzerland vs. Italy, and finally with the goals of Vargas and Freuler, the Crusaders won two cities in a row, eliminated the defending champion with a score of 2-0, and advanced to the top 8.
Switzerland are currently ranked 19th in the world and Italy are ranked 9th in the world, both teams finished second in their respective groups, but the process of Switzerland's qualification is obviously easier, in the final round of the group stage, Switzerland even forced the surging hosts Germany to do nothing, and Italy through a controversial extra-long stoppage time in the 98th minute to equalize Croatia and qualify for the group.
Judging from the course of this game, Italy also continued the slump in the group stage, playing a little cringe in the face of Switzerland's crazy attack, it is true that Italy's housekeeping ability was once a chain defense that once made the Blue Jackets proud of the world football forest, but in modern football with an increasingly fast pace, in fact, it is difficult to achieve an airtight defense only by relying on the back pile, and the reason why Italy was able to win the championship at home in the last session was also because the team was led by Mancini, playing offensive football and winning a piece of the world.
And now Italy, it is strange that it can't attack, can't defend, and doesn't lose. On the other hand, Switzerland, from the beginning of the group stage, has shown a very positive attitude, and is very good at grabbing the start of the strategy, in this cup format, once the first goal, take the lead, and then take the initiative to shrink the formation, while stabilizing the defense, waiting for the opportunity to counterattack, the effect is much better, the group stage against Germany, Switzerland is using such a strategy, so that the latter suffered.
In fact, the development of world football to the current extent, all kinds of skills and tactics are basically a clear card, with the European factory assembly line operation to train players has gradually taken shape, the level gap between professional players is no longer so huge, now there are few heroes who can decide the direction of the game by themselves, and whether the overall strategy of the team is appropriate, every detail of the preparation will become an important factor in determining the outcome of the game. There is no doubt that Switzerland has become an invincible saber and has made its own on the stage of the European Championship.