- Switzerland conceded the 1-1 draw against Israel in the 88th minute in the European Championship qualifiers in Hungary and therefore still does not have a guaranteed ticket to the finals.
- As in previous games, the national team lost a lot of their lead after taking the lead and had to allow themselves to be dominated in the second half.
- The only goalscorer for Switzerland was Ruben Vargas in the 36th minute, Edimilson Fernandes saw a direct red card in stoppage time.
- The Nati will have their next chance to win their European Championship ticket on Saturday in the home game in Basel against Kosovo.
The Swiss national team did it again: As in the 2:2 against Romania, in the 2:2 in Kosovo and most recently in the 3:3 against Belarus, they lost the lead against a modest opponent and had to settle for a draw in the end satisfy. In the Hungarian exile in Felcsut against Israel the score was 1-1 in the 88th minute. And the goal was both deserved and announced.
After the break, order was lost
Switzerland, who had taken the lead in the 36th minute with a header from Ruben Vargas, chased their opponents from the first minute on in the second half and barely had any control of the game. Israel, whose domestic championship has been paused for over a month due to the war in the Middle East, was now the dominant team and came close to equalizing in the 47th minute. The crossbar saved the beaten Yann Sommer.
Switzerland also showed their luck in the 53rd minute when the ball hit Cédric Zesiger’s arm in the penalty area. To everyone’s surprise, neither referee Anthony Taylor (ENG) nor the VAR considered the action of the Wolfsburg defender, who was playing in place of Nico Elvedi, to be worthy of a penalty.
Fernandes once unhappy and once unfair
However, Switzerland’s luck ran out in the 88th minute when Edimilson Fernandes unluckily presented the ball to Shon Weissman, who had just been substituted. It was Fernandes who was shown the red card in the 94th minute after a rude tackle from behind. It was the negative highlight and somehow matched the unsuccessful Swiss performance.
Vargas provides the music and the goal before the break
The national team, which surprisingly started without Xherdan Shaqiri (bench), actually started well and had a few top chances in the first half. Vargas in particular repeatedly put himself in the spotlight. In the 8th minute he narrowly missed making it 1-0, and in the 19th minute he had a goal disallowed for foul play (previously Noah Okafor had hit the crossbar). Five minutes after his header hit a beautiful Fernandes cross, the Augsburg player also failed to hit the crossbar. Israel was well served with a 0-1 lead at the break.
After the break there wasn’t much to be seen of Vargas. This also applies to Captain Granit Xhaka. His 119th international match, which now makes him the sole Swiss record player, was one of his weaker ones.
This is how it continues
Instead of popping the corks, the national team will get serious again on Saturday. They welcome Kosovo in the sold-out St. Jakob Park and have the next chance to finally book their ticket for the European Championship finals. If it doesn’t work out again, the third and final option would be three days later in Romania.