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Coach Yakin and the players were satisfied after the second clear victory for the national team in the European Championship qualifier.
2 games, 6 points, 8-0 goals: The national team impressed both offensively and defensively in the first qualifying games for EURO 2024. The protagonists were accordingly satisfied after the 3-0 victory over Israel in Geneva – even if coach Murat Yakin had a small warning ready. The votes for the game:
Murat Yakin: «It was a great performance. We needed some patience. They were well organized defensively. But we knew we would get chances and we were able to strike at the right time. But you always have to stay awake against such opponents so that they can’t counterattack and play off their speed, otherwise something might happen.”
Granite Xhaka (Captain): “It was a very confident performance overall and we deserved to win 3-0. We wanted to close the game as quickly as possible in the second half. That worked out well. Getting into the group as a favorite isn’t always easy, but we’re up for the challenge.”
Ruben Vargas (scorer to 1-0): “We had the game in our hands for the entire duration. We waited for our chances and were able to score the goals. When I scored, I saw the goalkeeper come out, but not really. I just shot and was happy he went in.”
Silvan Widmer (goal scorer to 3-0): “We dominated the game. We should have scored the first goal earlier. Some of our goals were very nice, it could have been two or three more. This is how we imagined the start. It’s not always easy to find space against defensive opponents.”
Denis Zakaria (assist to make it 3-0): “It was a very important game for us. We want to show that we want to win every game in this group. It was important for me to get playing time. I don’t play often as a ‘six’ in front of defence, but I’m happy to be able to help the team in this position.”