- Switzerland achieved a 3-0 win against Andorra in the European Championship qualifiers in Sion.
- Cedric Itten opened the score shortly after the break, Granit Xhaka and Xherdan Shaqiri put the lid on it in the final minutes.
- Thanks to the 4th win in the 6th game, the national team consolidated their lead in Group I.
After a very weak first half, the national team’s engine still started after the break – albeit slowly. The result speaks for itself, but nothing else was to be expected against Andorra. However, like on Saturday in Kosovo, the performance was unconvincing.
Itten with 5th goal in 10th international match
Coach Murat Yakin must have hit the right note during the half-time break because his charges came out of the locker room in better shape. Led by Captain Granit Xhaka, the national team installed themselves in and around the Andorrans’ sixteenth team. These efforts were rewarded in the 49th minute. Xhaka put Cedric Itten in the spotlight, who was able to break away from the opponent with a technically good ball transfer and successfully make it 1-0. For the YB striker it was the 5th goal in his 10th international match.
With the lead behind them, things were more relaxed for the Swiss. The big move towards the goal was still missing, but at least the national team controlled the action at will. Andorra, who were extremely low for over 90 minutes, were no longer dangerous until the final whistle.
Xhaka leads the way
It took until the 84th minute before Switzerland could finally decide the game. Substitute Dan Ndoye replaced the rushing Xhaka, who made it 2-0 with a lot of overview and finesse. Xhaka, who was particularly in focus after the Kosovo game and his controversial statements, turned up the heat in the second 45 minutes after a modest first half and put his stamp on the game.
In stoppage time, Xherdan Shaqiri was also among the scorers. The 31-year-old confidently converted a penalty after Ndoye was knocked off his feet in the penalty area. The referee initially decided on Schwalbe, but reversed his decision after studying the VAR.
Joker Ndoye as an asset
Ndoye was one of the most noticeable players after his substitution in the 66th minute, not just because of the assist that made it 2-0 and the penalty he provoked before the 3-0. In the 68th minute, the Bologna player fell victim to an ugly tackle from Eric Vales.
Ndoye wanted to launch a counterattack and was abruptly and unfairly stopped with a tackle from behind. The referee Elchin Masiyev incomprehensibly only showed the culprit a yellow card. At the same time, several Swiss, including coach Yakin and substitute goalie Yann Sommer, received a warning for complaining.
This is how it goes
Thanks to the 4th win in the 6th game, Switzerland defended first place in Qualification Group I. The national team is 2 points ahead of Romania, which celebrated a 2-0 win at home against Kosovo. The game in Bucharest was interrupted in the first half because of racist gestures by the Romanian fans towards the Kosovar players. In the third game of Group I, Israel won 1-0 against Belarus.
Switzerland’s next qualifying games are coming up in a month. The Yakin team will be visiting Israel on October 12th. 3 days later the national team welcomes Belarus in St. Gallen. The top 2 in each group qualify directly for the 2024 European Championship finals in Germany.