Azzurri never in the game. The Swiss will face the winner of England-Slovakia
The journey of the reigning European champions Italy at the European Championship in Germany has ended in the quarterfinals. The Azzurri were beaten 2-0 by Switzerland at the end of a match that was clearly below expectations, with the aggravating factor of the second goal conceded after just thirty seconds of the second half. Switzerland therefore advances to the quarterfinals, and will face the winner of England-Slovakia on Saturday at 18:00.
SPALLETTI CHANGES MODULE AND SIX MEN — Compared to the last match of the group, Spalletti, without the suspended Calafiori and the injured Dimarco, changes the formation, going from 3-5-2 to 4-3-3, and six players. In front of Donnarumma, the defense is composed of Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni and Darmian. In the middle of the field, together with the confirmed Barella, there are Fagioli and Cristante. Up front, there is space for Scamacca with Chiesa and El Shaarawy in support. Switzerland presents Sommer in goal, the three-man defense composed of Schar, Akanji and Rodriguez. In midfield, Freuler and Xhaka act with Aebischer and Rieder. Up front, there is space for the trident composed of Vargas, Embolo and Ndoye. The match is referred to the Polish referee Marciniak.
BAD ITALY, SWITZERLAND SCORES — Start of the match favorable to Switzerland, with Italy struggling to set up the game. In the 24th minute Embolo sprints behind the Azzurri defenders, but his surefire shot is blocked by Donnarumma. At 26′ Chiesa’s number, whose conclusion is blocked in a corner by a Swiss defender. In the 32nd minute Rodriguez tries from distance, but the ball goes over the crossbar. Five minutes pass and Switzerland takes the lead with Freuler, who receives from the left and beats Donnarumma from a few steps away. In the 45th minute the Swiss were close to doubling their lead with Rieder on a free kick, but Donnarumma saved himself with the help of the post.
SECOND HALF: COLD SHOWER AND ELIMINATION — The second half opens with a change in the Italian team: El Shaarawy out and Zaccagni in. But after just thirty seconds Switzerland doubled their lead with Vargas, whose curling shot gave Donnarumma no chance. In the 7th minute Italy could reopen the game thanks to an incorrect header by Schar, but the post saves Sommer. In the 18th minute Spalletti calls Barella back to the bench to bring on Retegui. Switzerland limited themselves to managing the double advantage and in the 26th minute replaced Rieder and Vargas with Stergiou and Zuber. In the 28th minute Retegui tries from the edge, but his shot is weak and doesn’t worry Sommer. In the 29th minute Scamacca hits the post from two steps following an aerial assist from Zaccagni. Shortly after Cambiaso, Pellegrini and Frattesi take over Darmian, Cristante and Barella. However, nothing happens anymore and after two minutes of injury time Mr. Marciniak’s final whistle brings down the curtain on the Azzurri’s European adventure at the European Championship in Germany and leaves, above all, many question marks for the immediate future.
Vincenzo Murgolo
(Photo: Facebook page of the Italian national football team)
