Arrivederci to the Azzurri, campione d’Europa no more. At the ground where they won their fourth World Cup, Italy’s defence of their European crown came to a premature, timid end. Marcello Lippi’s team assured themselves of immortality in Berlin 18 years ago; Luciano Spalletti ’s side got only ignominy.
They were dismal in defeat. Yet Switzerland were magnificent in victory . They have often been overshadowed by their various neighbours but a first win over Italy in three decades was a sequel to eliminating France in Euro 2020.
After no quarter-final appearances since 1954, Switzerland have made the last eight in consecutive European Championships. Now they stand on the brink of history. Fresh from coming within a couple of minutes of beating Germany , Murat Yakin’s side underlined why they have been one of the teams of the tournament.
They played with a cohesion Italy lacked, a clear gameplan the Azzurri needed. They had the touches of quality to produce two high-class goals. Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas scored and each was terrific.
The finest season of Granit Xhaka ’s career continued – he still has not lost a match in Germany since joining Bayer Leverkusen – and, as Spalletti dropped Jorginho, the Swiss captain ran the midfield. Switzerland had more chances and more creativity than Italy, more ambition and more urgency. They had more possession when it mattered, to the extent that Xhaka completed more passes in the final third than Italy in the first half.
