The reigning champions are out as Switzerland beat Italy 2-0 in the first round of 16 tie at Euro 2024. Goals in each half from Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas did the damage for Murat Yakin’s men, who have made it past the last 16 of a major tournament for just the second time in […]
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The reigning champions are out as Switzerland beat Italy 2-0 in the first round of 16 tie at Euro 2024.
Goals in each half from Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas did the damage for Murat Yakin’s men, who have made it past the last 16 of a major tournament for just the second time in their history and for the second straight Euros.
It’s the first time Switzerland have beaten Italy since May 1993, ending a run of 11 games without a win in this fixture.
Switzerland will now await the winners of England vs Slovakia in the last eight.
Here are the full player ratings from Saturday’s clash in Berlin:
Yann Sommer – 6/10 – Was forced into just one save. Composed on the ball.
Fabian Schar – 7/10 – Got lucky with a header that came off his own post in the second half, but was otherwise rock-solid and collected.
Manuel Akanji – 8/10 – Mostly excellent on the ball and made a couple of vital blocks and interceptions. Reads the game so well.
Ricardo Rodriguez – 7/10 – As reliable and solid as he always is for Switzerland at major tournaments.
Michel Aebischer – 8/10 – Picked up his third direct goal involvement of the tournament (1g/2a) with his assist for Vargas’ second-half stunner. Has been one of Switzerland’s best players at Euro 2024 with his excellent delivery.
Remo Freuler – 9/10 – Took his goal brilliantly with a darting run into the box and composed finish, getting the Swiss going. Looked a constant threat and also worked hard without the ball, making two tackles, five recoveries, two clearances and an interception.
Switzerland lead Italy! ??
Nottingham Forest's Remo Freuler with a crucial goal in Berlin. #BBCEuros #Euro2024 #SUITA pic.twitter.com/YoOiONaZL9
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) June 29, 2024
Granit Xhaka – 9/10 – Another superbly commanding performance from the former Arsenal man. Created a match-high three chances and completed more passes (94) than any other player, 16 of which went into the attacking third. Control and composure in buckets.
Fabian Rieder – 8/10 – Had won more duels (7) than any other player on the pitch by the time he was brought off. Almost scored a deserved goal with a free-kick that had Donnarumma scrambling in the first half.
Ruben Vargas – 9/10 – Italy couldn’t handle his pace at all. Deserved his stunning goal when it came having already provided the assist for Freuler’s opener.
RUBEN VARGAS WHAT A GOAL
2-0 SWITZERLAND#SUIITA #EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/pHWDHyZ3Mf
— Sideline Recaps (@SidelineRecaps) June 29, 2024
Breel Embolo – 7/10 – Provided a decent focal point for Switzerland but still looks a little short on fitness. Missed a great chance one-on-one after breaking behind the Italian defence but fired his shot straight at Donnarumma.
Dan Ndoye – 8/10 – Caused havoc with his pace and directness, giving Darmian nightmares. Attempted four shots, created one chance and had five touches in the opposition box.
Substitutes:
Steven Zuber (71′, for Vargas) – 7/10 – Looked composed to help Switzerland see out the game.
Leonidas Stergiou (71′, for Rieder) – 7/10 – Defended well at the end.
Vincent Sierro (77′, for Ndoye) – 5/10 – Didn’t get going.
Kwadwo Duah (77′, for Embolo) – 5/10 – Didn’t get into the game.
Renato Steffen (90′, for Aebischer) – N/A – Brought on at the end.
Gianluigi Donnarumma – 5/10 – Made a good stop early on to deny Embolo. Will perhaps be slightly disappointed in his efforts on the Freuler goal.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 6/10 – Sloppy on the ball at times but at least fared better than Darmian on the opposite flank.
Gianluca Mancini – 5/10 – Failed to adequately stand in for the suspended Riccardo Calafiori. Positioning left much to be desired.
Alessandro Bastoni – 5/10 – Looked a little lost without Calafiori, with whom he’s formed an excellent partnership.
Matteo Darmian – 3/10 – Given a real runaround by Ndoye, looked way off the pace. Was also far too slow on the ball, getting caught out a couple of times.
Bryan Cristante – 5/10 – Started well but couldn’t maintain that level. Was outplayed by the Swiss in midfield.
Nicolo Fagioli – 4/10 – Was one of Italy’s best players in the first half with some slick, progressive passing. However, threw away all his great work with an inexplicable mistake giving the ball away for Switzerland’s second goal from the second-half kick-off. Did he miss the memo that his teammates had gone long?
Nicolo Barella – 6/10 – Played some bright, dangerous passes early on and looked to be asserting himself well, but took a knock which limited his influence. Brought off just after the hour mark.
Federico Chiesa – 6/10 – Looked like the only Italian capable of driving at the Swiss defence and completed a match-high four dribbles, but was way off with his final ball.
Gianluca Scamacca – 2/10 – Was he even on the pitch? Actually managed to hit the post in the second half but it was about the only thing he did.
Stephan El Shaarawy – 5/10 – A couple of promising bursts early on but faded incredibly quickly. Failed to create a chance or attempt a shot, so no surprise he was brought off at half-time.
Substitutes:
Mattia Zaccagni (46′, for El Shaarawy) – 7/10 – Definitely improved Italy. One of the few from his nation that can leave this tournament with any sort of pride.
Mateo Retegui (64′, for Barella) – 3/10 – Failed to complete a single pass. One shot from distance was his only meaningful contribution.
Andrea Cambiaso (75′, for Darmian) – 6/10 – Did better than Darmian, though that wasn’t a high standard to meet.
Lorenzo Pellegrini (75′, for Cristante) – 6/10 – Looked brighter than Cristante but didn’t have enough time.
Davide Frattesi (86′, for Fagioli) – 5/10 – Didn’t get into the game, needed more time.
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