Euro 2024, Switzerland-Italy the report cards and the match report between Yakin’s team and Luciano Spalletti’s team.
After a very long wait, Italy finally returns to the field to challenge Switzerland in a very delicate match. Luciano Spalletti’s team has reached Euro 2024 Round of 16 with great difficulty and suffering a lot against the teams in his group. In all the matches, the National team experienced decidedly complicated moments. Against Albania in their debut, for example, Scamacca and his teammates risked conceding a draw right at the last minute.
Against Spain, however, there was no match and the Iberian national team dominated from the first to the last minute. The final 1-0 absolutely does not tell the great domination shown by Luis de la Fonte’s boys, with a Donnarumma version of phenomenon who saved everything (only Calafiori’s own goal managed to get past Gigio). Finally, against Croatia, the Azzurri were out of Euro 2024 until twenty seconds from the end: Zaccagni’s magic can also be defined as a true miracle. In the first knockout challenge, the coach upsets the starting line-up by launching players like Mancini, Cristante and El Shaarawy from the first minute who had absolutely not been seen until now (here are the official lineups).
Switzerland-Italy match report
In the first half, Italy started very badly and was unable to create play: Switzerland came close to 65% ball possession. After 37 minutes, the blue wall collapses: Freuler fits in perfectly and with a volley beats an innocent Donnarumma. Very bad for Mancini who leaves too much space for the Bologna player. He returns to the locker room at one to zero.
In the second half, Spalletti tries to shake up his team by taking off El Shaarawy and putting on the hero of the group stage Zaccagni. Ready, go and Switzerland finds the double: a wonderful curling shot by Vargas that he slips in behind Donnarumma. The Azzurri are unable to reorganize their ideas and are never in the game: the only chance for the National team is an own post by Schar with the goalkeeper beaten. It ends 2-0: frankly, a very bad European Championship ends for Italy. Spalletti, now, will have to be good at relaunching a new cycle by giving confidence to young and fresh players. A very precise game idea is also needed: in the competition, the National team was at times unwatchable.
Switzerland-Italy match report cards
SWITZERLAND (3-4-3): Sommer 6; Schar 6, Akanji 6, Rodriguez 6.5; Rieder 6, Xhaka 7.5, Freuler 7.5, Aebischer 6.5; Ndoye 6.5, Embolo 7, Vargas 7.5. CT: Yakin
ITALIA(4-3-3): Donnarumma 6; Di Lorenzo 5, Mancini 4.5, Bastoni 5, Darmian 5.5 (Cambiaso); Barella 6 (Retegui 5.5), Fagioli 5, Cristante 6 (Pellegrini 5.5); Chiesa 6, Scamacca 5, El Shaarawy 5 (Zaccagni 5.5).
