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Preface
In the first quarter-finals of Euro 2024 in Germany, Italy will face Switzerland at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. In the first half of the game, Switzerland took the lead with a goal scored by Freuler. Just 27 seconds into the second half, Vargas quickly broke through the Italian defence and scored again to extend Switzerland's lead. In the end, Italy lost 0-2 to Switzerland, and Italy's quest to defend the champions came to an end in the round of 16, with Switzerland claiming a stunning victory.
The first half passed
In the 8th minute, Barella, the core of the Italian midfield, was surrounded by three Swiss players while protecting the ball, and in the 11th minute, the Swiss team made a long pass on the left side of the field, and Ndoye received the ball and shot quickly, but the ball did not pose a real threat to the Italian goal. In the 13th minute, Switzerland's Ebischer was knocked down by an opposing player near the left touchline.
In the 15th minute, Swiss captain Xhaka was once again sitting on the pitch due to injury and needed to be further treated. In the 18th minute, Italy won a free-kick in front of the goal, Faggioli suddenly picked the ball into the box, Di Lorenzo took the lead in the box and volleyed with his left foot, but the ball failed to threaten the opposition goal. In the 23rd minute, Swiss midfielder Ndolle faced the goalkeeper one-on-one, and his shot was saved by Donnarumma. The save was thrilling.
In the 24th minute, Switzerland made a precise pass on the left side of the field, and Embolo got a single chance, his shot on the left side of the penalty area was blocked by Italian goalkeeper Donnarumma with his body, and then the Swiss player's follow-up shot was blocked by the Italian defender. In the 26th minute, Chiesa broke through the opponent's defense with the ball on the left side of the penalty area, and after continuous shaking, he fired a low left-footed shot, but it was successfully saved by Swiss goalkeeper Sommer.
In the 37th minute, Switzerland's Vargas crossed the ball to the penalty area on the left side of the field, Freuler easily controlled the ball and volleyed with his left foot, the ball hit Mancini and changed slightly backwards, flying into the goal from the near corner, giving Switzerland a 1-0 lead over Italy. In the 45th minute, Switzerland won a free kick outside the box on the right side of the field, Reid unexpectedly spun directly into the far corner, Donnarumma made a save, but the ball hit the post and bounced off the bottom line.
At the end of the first half, Italy had only one chance to shoot on goal and were temporarily 0-1 down to Switzerland. In the 46th minute, the Swiss infiltrated from the left and Abichel passed the ball to Vargas, who quickly got up and fired the ball straight into the corner. Switzerland extended the score to 2-0. It was also a goal and an assist for Vargas in this game.
The second half passed
In the 52nd minute, Faggioli couldn't find a team-mate in the box after picking up a precise pass in front of the goal, and Swiss defender Schell's header almost turned into an own goal, and the ball smashed heavily on the crossbar. In the 64th minute, coach Spalletti made a tactical adjustment, replacing Barella with Retegui, allowing the Italian team to change to a two-striker formation.
In the 74th minute, Cristante picked up a precise pass in front, and Zaccagni headed the ball into the box and the ball hit the post and bounced. Italy made a mistake after kicking off in the centre circle just 27 seconds into the second half, leading to a steal and a counter-attack to score and quickly make it 0-2. Subsequently, Italy made several changes to their line-up and went all out, including bringing on Manuel Pellegrini and Cambiasso to replace Darmian and Cristante, but failed to create effective scoring opportunities to turn the tide.
In the 83rd minute, taking advantage of the Italian team's full pressure on the attack, the Swiss team successfully launched a counterattack, Xhaka passed the ball to the left side of the penalty area, and substitute Zubair received the ball and fired a low shot into the far corner from a small angle, but unfortunately the ball missed the far post. In the end, at the end of the game, the Italian team lost 0-2 to the Swiss team and missed the qualification, and the Italian team's European Championship journey ended early.
The reason for the defeat of Italy
Italy's lack of attacking strength in this game is obvious. Their lack of organisation and coordination led to a number of missed chances. The performance was not isolated and continued their problems in the group stage, showing that they have deep-seated difficulties in attack.
The Swiss team showed strong defensive quality, especially when dealing with Italy's crosses and breakaways, and they were excellent. They stood out in the second half, successfully extending their advantage with solid defence and quick counter-attacks. In terms of player form and mentality, Italy's performance was significantly inferior to Switzerland's. Especially when the score is down, the mentality of the Italian players is clearly affected, which directly affects their performance and makes the overall performance even worse.
This match showed that Italy had some problems against Switzerland. Defensively, Italy made mistakes, a problem that an undeserved team that is usually known for its solid defense. In attack, Italy failed to make effective use of their chances, despite their excellent performance in possession and passing (52 per cent possession).
In contrast, Switzerland, despite having less possession, were more dangerous in attack, leading in shots on goal and shots on target. The result of the match was a shock 2-0 upset for Switzerland to knock out defending champions Italy, which clearly showed that Italy failed to show enough attacking threat and defensive consistency in key moments. Players such as Al-Shaarawy used to be the mainstay, but over time they may no longer be the first choice for the Italian team.
In addition, apart from Barella, the Italian midfield seems to lack a tactical core. This reflects the challenge of changing players. Italy have relied mainly on defensive counter-attacks in the past, especially when they won the last European Championship, and this strategy was successful. However, the development of modern football requires teams to be efficient both defensively and offensively, and the modern, high-pressure tactics of opponents such as Switzerland have brought new challenges to Italy. Public opinion and media evaluations can have a profound impact on teams and players.
The Italian team faces high expectations and challenges from public opinion, which may increase the pressure on the team to face challenges and may lead to a skewed perception of their own strength. In general, the Italian national team needs to rethink and adjust, including the selection of players, the adjustment of tactics and the management of public opinion, in order to regain its competitiveness on the international football stage.
conclusion
Italy suffered an unexpected defeat at Euro 2020 as they were knocked out by Switzerland in the round of 16 as defending champions. The result of this match not only shocked the fans, but also revealed the variables and drama that are common in football matches.