- Switzerland only managed a 1-1 draw against Kosovo, but this sealed their ticket to EURO 2024.
- Once again the national team dominated the action and again conceded the equalizer late on.
- Because Romania won 2-1 against Israel, the point gained was enough for the Swiss to qualify for the European Championship early.
First things first: Switzerland will be taking part in EURO 2024 in Germany. Murat Yakin’s team once again lost their victory against Kosovo in the final minutes. Because Romania won 2-1 after falling behind in the parallel game against Israel, one point was ultimately enough for the Swiss to secure their European Championship ticket.
In Bucharest on Tuesday there will be a direct duel between Romania and Switzerland for group victory. The national team then urgently needs a win in order to get past the Romanians in Group I, who are now leading the table with a two-point lead.
It’s happening again
Yakin had completely changed the back four in defense for the second to last game in the current European Championship campaign. Eray Cömert and Ulisses Garcia occupied the two full-back positions, while Nico Elvedi was used in central defense alongside Manuel Akanji.
However, the Swiss defense didn’t have much to do. The game in the sold-out St. Jakob-Park was a game to one goal. Perhaps one of the reasons why the Nati defense was in a collective deep sleep in the 82nd minute. Launched with a wonderful through ball, Muhamet Hyseni scored the much celebrated equalizer for the guests.
The Kosovars had previously only had one real chance to score. After a free kick from the left, Elbasan Rashani’s header (38th) whizzed just past the right post.
There had previously been significantly more activity in front of the guests’ box. Xherdan Shaqiri was back in the starting line-up for Zeki Amdouni. The 32-year-old played his 118th international match, equaling the record set by long-standing record player Heinz Hermann.
Opportunities every minute
Together with Ruben Vargas and Noah Okafor, Shaqiri kept things going on offense. Only the long overdue goal didn’t come in the first half. Vargas, who was once again very eye-catching, broke the spell shortly after the break when he headed home a Garcia cross (47′).
As a result, the Swiss pressed for the second goal. They had chances practically every minute between the 50th and 70th minutes. Both Remo Freuler’s (55th) and Okafor’s (65th) goals did not count due to offside. And substitute Michel Aebischer also failed to get the ball over the line after a slapstick scene in the Kosovo penalty area.
And so it happened, as it always happened in 4 of the Swiss’ last 5 European Championship qualifying games: the national team didn’t manage to win over time. Thanks to Romanian support, the game should be played under the motto “All’s well that ends well,” at least in the short term.