Originally posted on Top-soccer.com
An intriguing battle is certainly coming up on Saturday as England and Switzerland prepare to match wits for a coveted spot in the UEFA EURO 2024 semi-finals. On one side of the pitch will be a team who have not looked particularly bright and may be riding their luck just a bit too far, while on the other side of the pitch will be a team who have looked quite impressive and could be shaping up to be one of this tournament’s dark horses.
For well over 90 minutes during their round of 16 tie, it appeared that England’s hopes of “finally bringing it home” had come crashing down. The Three Lions, who have been quite disappointing so far at this summer’s European Championship, were 1-0 down against a Slovakia side who were very content to park the bus and hang on to a lead. A goal from Ivan Schranz was enough to give the minnows the result they needed, and despite their efforts, it seemed that England were destined for what would have been a rather embarrassing conclusion to what overall had been a poor tournament so far.
However, Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham popped up just in the nick of time to save England’s blushes via a brilliant overhead kick. That appeared to finally wake Gareth Southgate’s troops out of their stupor, as it took just seconds into extra time for skipper Harry Kane to find the back of the net and turn the tie on its head. Slovakia, who clearly had run themselves into the ground with their ultra-defensive tactics, had no response, and just like that, England were through to the quarter-finals.
Nonetheless, the critics’ knives are still very much out for England and Southgate as pressure continues to mount on the Three Lions ahead of Saturday’s crunch tie. England’s 1-0 win over Serbia on matchday one – courtesy of another Bellingham goal – remains the only match during which the Euro 2020 runners-up have won a match in regular time. They were held to frustrating draws against Denmark and Slovenia, and worryingly were unable to score in the latter match. As such, there are growing concerns that England, who were very fortunate to get a result against Slovakia, just may see their luck run out against a Switzerland side who have been steadily growing in confidence as this tournament goes on.
Unlike England, Switzerland looked pretty solid throughout their three group stage matches. Murat Yakin’s side kicked things off with a resounding 3-1 win over Hungary on matchday one, before stumbling somewhat during a one-all draw against Scotland on matchday two. Impressively, Switzerland managed to take a 1-0 lead over Germany, and although they ultimately had to settle for a stalemate after die Mannschaft snatched an equalizer, it was still enough to ensure that they headed into the round of 16 as Group A’s runners-up.
Pitted against Italy – the Euro reigning title holders – in the round of 16, La Nati got sweet revenge on the team that had humiliated them 3-0 during the group stages three years ago. The Azzurri have never really been able to get fully going at this summer’s competition, and with key players like defender Riccardo Calafiori suspended, were left looking quite unsteady at the back.
Switzerland had no issues securing a 2-0 win to knock Italy out of the competition, and while England fans certainly were gleeful at that result, they now will have to see their team face the same team that eliminated Italy about a week prior to this upcoming tie. La Nati, who have lost just one 18 matches since the 2022 FIFA World Cup, could now eliminate both the winners and the runners-up of the prior European Championship in the same tournament.
Still, Switzerland do have a bit of a hoodoo when it comes to playing England. They have not beaten the Three Lions in over 40 years, and ironically, current coach Yakin was part of the Switzerland squad who were beaten 3-0 by England at EURO 2004. As such, he will also have his own score to settle when his team face a Three Lions side who have yet to really get up and running. But will Switzerland be able to end their long and frustrating record against England and book a spot in the final four? Or will England, who managed to avoid an humiliating early exit by the narrowest of margins, finally roar to life as the stakes continue to get higher?
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