The Round of 16 saw the reigning European champions, Italy, losing their prestigious title as they fell to a far superior Swiss team during the tournament’s opening game at Olympiastadion, Berlin. Switzerland outplayed Italy 2-0, a deflating outcome for Italians who were hopeful that their last-minute revival against Croatia would bring forth a form of improvement. Historically, Italy tends to grow stronger as the tournaments progress, but their 2024 team seemed weaker in comparison to their previous lineups, making them an easy target for the Swiss team who defeated them leisurely.
Unlike the relentless Austrian team led by Ralf Rangnick, the Swiss, with midfielder Granit Xhaka at its helm, have a more calculated, patient playing style, balancing between swift and slow, accompanied by a potent attack mechanism that puts them a notch above Switzerland’s teams of the past.
In the words of the Neue Zürcher Zeitung, “Four last-16 defeats since 2014 are enough,” alluding to their repeated defeats at the World Cups of 2014, 2018, 2022 and Euro 2016. The only exception being a victory against France in 2020/21, after a tiebreaker penalty shootout, which was a fleeting moment of triumph as they soon faced defeat in the quarter-final to Spain, again, due to penalties.
These experiences have been formative for the Swiss team, instilling greater confidence and expertise. Their commencement of the recent match reflected their intentions. The stronger Swiss pushed Italy on the backfoot and swiftly played through the desperate defense. Italy swiftly booked five fouls in the initial 15 minutes. The intense start culminated with Nicol Barella of Italy, who held the crucial role of marking Xhaka, injuring his leg after a collision with Remo Freuler. His after-match performance was awaited with bated breaths post the treatment.
It was a sporting spectacle largely dominated by the Swiss attacking against Italy’s goal, with Italy’s goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, forced to perform an exceptional solo save when Breel Embolo bypassed the defence. At 37 minutes into the game, the Swiss reaped the fruits of their efforts by seizing a well-earned lead.
The pathway to the goal kickstarted with a powerful pass from exactly the middle of the pitch by Manuel Akanji. Embolo and Dan Ndoye leveraged their skills against Gianluca Mancini and Alessandro Bastoni to maintain Swiss control over the ball. Then, gaining possession on his left, Ruben Vargas skilfully manoeuvred within and launched a calculated pass towards the penalty spot. This invite was then smoothly picked up by Freuler, bursting into the box from midfield and cleverly controlling the ball before delivering a ground-vibrating volley that landed inside the bottom corner at the nearest post.
Yet, it must be noted that a slight deflection from Gianluca Mancini was a significant influence in guiding the ball beyond the reach of Donnarumma. But ignoring this unfortunate incident, Italy’s defensive strategy was in shambles, overpowered and outsmarted. Freuler’s free reign in their box was due to the oversight of Nicolo Fagioli, a young creative midfielder who failed to spot Freuler’s sneaky run behind him.
Fagioli’s participation underlines the bleak state of Italy’s current squad. This is a player who has only recently returned to the game following a long break due to a gambling prohibition, with his first match played on the 24th of May. It wasn’t the best way to prepare for a face-off with Europe’s stellar players. Filling his shoes wasn’t an option either, primarily because Sandro Tonali, an alternative option, was also serving his own gambling prohibition.
The last few moments of the first half saw Stephan El Sharaawy being booked for tackling Fabian Schär unfairly. The following free-kick presented an opportunity for Fabian Rieder to aim cleverly for the nearest goal post, forcing Donnarumma to rescue his team once more aided by the woodwork.
Upon the conclusion of the first half, Spalletti replaced El Sharaawy with Mattia Zaccagni, previously known for his equalising goal against Croatia a few moments after he was substituted in. However, his entry this time proved less fruitful as Switzerland amplified their lead by scoring their second goal within a minute into the second half.
In the football match, the Italians’ defence was once again pathetically poor. Aebischer, Xhaka, and Vargas of the Swiss team exploited this weakness, using the left wing to their advantage. Vargas pursued a large defenceless area, advancing to the left of the Italian football field, and unleashed an impeccable curled shot that soared past Donnarumma, into the distant corner.
Despite the fact that Italy was aware of Vargas’ right-footed prowess, they still gave him a wide berth to position himself, aim, and strike. Bryan Cristante should have reacted more swiftly to hinder the shot.
The circumstances for the Italians were increasingly grim. Barella, who is typically a vital cog in the midfield, was virtually invisible after an early injury. Federico Chiesa, following one opportunity in the first half that came from his distinctively rigid but efficient dribbling, seemed to be running out of steam. Gianluca Scamacca, the centre forward, was utterly ineffective – with a mere seven touches in the first half and none in the Swiss third.
Everyone was left pondering where Italy’s goal might originate from while almost witnessing Switzerland accidentally score one on their behalf. Schär misdirected an easy header back towards his goalie, Yann Sommer. Both Sommer and Schär could only stand and watch the ball slowly bounce off the post.
Switzerland, however, learned from this close call. Soon after the 60-minutes mark, Mateo Retegui replaced Barella, to the dismay of the Italian fans who may have forgotten about his injury. Three additional substitutions were made between the 75th and 85th minute as Spalletti took a gamble.
Despite these efforts, the game was lost. None of the substitutions could ignite a spark among the Italians. They were outclassed, and the disparity in talent was all too apparent. The only opportunity that Italy created in the last 30 minutes was squandered by Scamacca, who hit the post from a close distance and was probably offside.
The Swiss fans joyously celebrated at the Olympic torch end of the Berlin colosseum for the final 10 uninterrupted minutes of the match. They were witnessing one of the highlights of Swiss football history. This marked only the ninth time out of 62 games that Switzerland defeated Italy.
“Catch us in Berlin again!” was amongst the rallying cries. Though they found themselves already in Berlin, their sights were set on their return for the final match on the 14th of July. Their upcoming journey brings them to Düsseldorf, where they will face off either England or Slovakia in the quarter-final scheduled for the 6th of July. For the Swiss national squad, a semi-final position would represent an unparalleled accomplishment, one the current roster has the potential to attain. Furthermore, there’s no reason to halt their ambitions here. Granit Xhaka stands a mere triumphant trio of matches away from the Ballon d’Or.