In the early morning of June 30, the 1/8 finals of the 2024 European Cup began. In the first knockout match, defending champions Italy took on Switzerland. In the first half, Floyle helped Switzerland lead 1-0; In the second half, Vargas completed a blitz, and the Swiss team widened the gap to two goals, and finally defeated Italy with a score of 2-0 and advanced to the quarterfinals of this European Championship first.
In the face of this crucial knockout match, Italian coach Spalletti unexpectedly changed the team's formation to 433, and rotated six players in the starting lineup, including Shaarawy, Faggioli, Cristante, and Scamacca. According to media reports, at least 70,000 people flocked to the Olympic Stadium in Berlin to watch the game.
In the 19th minute of the game, Barella took a free kick into the penalty area, Di Lorenzo inserted a left-footed shot and kicked it wide, and the referee then signaled that he was offside. In the 23rd minute, Reid kept passing the ball and Embolo formed a one-on-one chance, but his right-footed shot was saved by Donnarumma. In the 25th minute, Chiesa Jr. broke down the left side and entered the penalty area, but his subsequent right-footed shot was too weak and was blocked by the Swiss defender in front of the goal.
In the 37th minute, Vargas cut inside on the left and knocked across the middle, Faggioli was not tight on the mark, Floyler inserted the ball and shot in one go, helping the Swiss team take a 1-0 lead.
In the 45+1st minute, Reid's free kick on the right side was directly pumped with his left foot to the near corner of the goal, and Donnarumma concentrated to block the ball from the bottom line. At half-time, Italy trailed Switzerland 0-1 and had a 1-10 deficit in shots on goal.
Just 27 seconds into the second half, Switzerland burst into the box with the ball in Vargas, and at this time there was not a single Italian defender around him, and the 25-year-old Augsburg striker had enough time to aim for the bull's-eye and beat Donnarumma with a beautiful arc to make it 2-0! Italy is in a desperate situation. The defending champions have conceded five goals in four games, more than the total number of goals conceded in the previous tournament combined.
In the 51st minute, Italy made a non-threatening pass to the Swiss team's penalty area, Fabian Schell's header tried to pass back to the goalkeeper, but accidentally pushed the ball to the goal post, startling Sommer in front of the goal in a cold sweat.
With two goals down, Spalletti replaced Barella with striker Retegui, who had already replaced El Shaarawy at the start of the second half with Zaccagni, who had scored the equaliser.
With two goals down, Italy continued to pass safely at the back and did not rush to attack the front, and the fans at the stadium also booed the defending champions to express their dissatisfaction.
In the 74th minute, Scamacca missed a chance to close the score on the left post of the goal with a half-empty goal opportunity at the back of the penalty area. In the 83rd minute, Xhaka made a direct pass, and substitute Swiss striker Jubel burst into the left side of the penalty area and shot wide, and Italy almost fell behind by three goals.
In the end, the Swiss team scored one goal in the first and second halves to advance to the quarterfinals of the European Championship with a score of 2-0, and also eliminated the defending champion Italy!
In the quarter-finals, they will face the winner between England and Slovakia. As for Southgate, Kane and Bellingham, Italy's exit will make them the only remaining traditional giants in the bottom half! If they play properly, England will have a good chance of reaching the final of this European Championship.