- The U21 national team kept up well against Spain in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in Bucharest (ROM), but lost 2-1 in extra time.
- Zeki Amdouni saves Switzerland late in extra time, where Miranda becomes the Spanish hero.
- The Swiss out also ends the U21 career of coach Patrick Framework.
In the second half of extra time, Switzerland, trailing 1:2, tried everything to save themselves in Bucharest with a penalty shoot-out well after midnight local time. Above all, Zeki Amdouni was wanted on the offensive. It was the man who scored 5 goals in 5 senior international matches who saved the U21 national team in extremis into extra time.
But the in-form FCB striker couldn’t put it back together in coach Patrick Framework’s last game. The Swiss didn’t come close to scoring a goal and had to admit defeat to the big favorites. So her campaign at the European Championships in Romania and Georgia ended in the quarterfinals.
Miranda shoots, Blum distracts unhappily
After the final whistle, the Spaniards hugged each other and cheered. Their success was deserved – even if Switzerland had balanced the action on the pitch for long stretches. Match winner for the Iberians was Juan Miranda. A shot from the left-back was deflected by Lewin Blum in the 103rd minute to make it 2-1 for Amir Saipi. As a result, Spain failed to decide the game several times.
Nati keeps tight until the 68th minute
In regulation time, Switzerland, who had conceded early goals in every game in the group stage, had scarcely allowed Spain to score. Before the break, Saipi only faced a threat in the 39th minute, when Nicolas Vouilloz made it clear for the beaten keeper just before the goal line.
The 0:1 fell anyway, but only in the 68th minute. Simon Sohm, who came on for Fabian Rieder 10 minutes earlier, stormed into the opposing half of the field at high speed, but then played a bad pass – and 11 seconds later the ball was in the net behind Saipi. Alex Baena had sent Abel Ruiz on his way and he put the ball back on Sergio Gomez. The Manchester City man didn’t need to be asked twice and shot low into the left corner from 15 metres.
The Nati, which showed a clear improvement in performance compared to the 1:4 against France, was unable to react for a long time. The offensive bit into the Spanish defense again and again. But the equalizer came in the 91st minute: Vouilloz played a wide ball to Joker Julian von Moos. He skilfully took the leather with his chest and put it across to Amdouni, who scored ice-cold to make it 1-1.
The goal was not in sight, but the Swiss earned it with their good morale. In the extra time, the game found the right winner.