Switzerland expose Italy’s lack of talent to dump defending champions out

Round of 16: Switzerland 2 Italy 0

Italy’s reign as European champions is over after they were dismantled 2-0 by a far superior Switzerland at the Olympiastadion in Berlin in the opening game of the Round of 16.

The Italians had hoped that their late redemption against Croatia might inspire an improvement. Italy have a history of growing into tournaments, but Italy also usually have better players than this. The team of 2024 was no match for the Swiss, who beat them almost at walking pace.

Murat Yakin’s side play a different style from their neighbours Austria, who are also enjoying an impressive tournament. While Austria press relentlessly in the Ralf Rangnick style, the Granit Xhaka-marshalled Swiss are more measured, more patient, yet capable of going from slow to fast in an instant and equipped with a cutting edge in attack that elevates them above the Swiss sides of the recent past.

“Four last-16 defeats since 2014 are enough” the Neue Zürcher Zeitung informed the team the morning of the game. The Swiss had gone out at this stage in the World Cups of 2014 (0-1 v Argentina), 2018 (0-1 v Sweden) and 2022 (1-6 v Portugal), and also Euro 2016 (1-1 v Poland, who won on penalties).

The exception was 2020/21, when they beat France on penalties after a 3-3 draw, only to lose in the quarter-final to Spain, again on penalties.

They have developed experience, confidence and tournament know-how. Here they started the match like they meant business and Italy were immediately forced back, committing five desperate fouls in the first 15 minutes as the Swiss played through them. Yet for all Italy’s rough play, it was they who took the most significant physical hit when Nicola Barella seemed to suffer a dead leg in a collision with Remo Freuler.

The Inter midfielder soldiered on after receiving treatment and we waited to see if his effectiveness was reduced: unfortunate, given he was the one instructed to mark the Swiss playmaker Xhaka.

The run of play was generally towards the Italian goal, with Gianluigi Donnarumma having to produce a fine one-on-one stop after Breel Embolo got in behind the defence, and on 37 minutes the Swiss finally took a deserved lead.

Manuel Akanji fired a pass up the centre of the pitch and Embolo and Dan Ndoye got the better of Gianluca Mancini and Alessandro Bastoni to keep possession for Switzerland. Ruben Vargas received the ball on the left, cut inside with purpose and played a low pass towards the penalty spot, into the path of Freuler, powering into the box from midfield. Freuler had time to take a touch to control before volleying into the bottom corner at the near post.

A little deflection off Gianluca Mancini was crucial in taking it past Donnarumma, but notwithstanding that unlucky detail, the goal from the point of view of Italy’s defence was an abomination. They had been outfought, outrun and out-thought. The reason Freuler had so much space in their box was that Nicolo Fagioli, the young central playmaker, was ball-watching and had failed to notice the Swiss midfielder running in behind from a deeper position.

The fact that Fagioli was even playing shows how thin Italy’s current resources are. This is a guy who sat out most of the season while he served a gambling ban and played his first game back on May 24th. Not the ideal preparation for competing against the best players in Europe. Yet Italy had nobody better, not least because another of their central midfield options, Sandro Tonali, is still serving his own gambling ban.

Stephan El Sharaawy was booked for fouling Fabian Schär in the last minute of the first half and from the resulting free-kick Donnarumma had to bail his team out again, as Fabian Rieder shot cleverly towards the near post when everyone expected him to cross. The Italian goalkeeper kept it out with some help from the woodwork.

At half-time Spalletti replaced El Sharaawy with Mattia Zaccagni, who had scored the equaliser a few minutes after coming on against Croatia. His arrival into this game proved less auspicious as Switzerland doubled their lead in the first minute of the second half.

Again the Italian defending was utterly atrocious. They simply stood off and allowed Michel Aebischer, Xhaka and Vargas to play some pretty little triangles on the Swiss left wing before Vargas, noticing a large unguarded space in front, simply advanced into the left of the Italian box and whipped a beautiful curling shot over Donnarumma and into the far corner.

Italy knew that Vargas was right-footed yet had allowed him time and space to open up his body, aim, and shoot. Bryan Cristante should have been across much quicker to block.

The situation of the Italians now really did look hopeless. Barella, usually a dynamic presence in midfield, had done almost nothing since taking that early knock. Federico Chiesa, who had one first-half chance after beating a couple of men with his stiff yet effective dribbling style, seemed to be tiring. Centre forward Gianluca Scamacca had been abysmal, a nonentity – seven touches in the first half, none in the Swiss third.

Everyone was wondering where an Italian goal was going to come from, and the Swiss nearly scored one for them. Schär aimed a simple header back towards Yann Sommer only to get it all wrong and the goalkeeper and defender stood frozen watching the ball float slowly on to the post and back out.

But Switzerland were not going to be silly enough to do that again. Just after the hour Mateo Retegui came on for Barella, the decision seeming to annoy the Italian fans who maybe had forgotten his dead leg. Three more subs followed between the 75th and 85th minutes as Spalletti rolled the dice.

But this match was already over. None of the changes could spark anything. The difference in quality was too large. The only chance Italy created in the last half-hour fell to Scamacca, who hit the post from four yards. He was probably offside anyway.

The Swiss fans bounced and sang for 10 unbroken minutes at the Olympic torch end of the Berlin colosseum as the match played itself out. They knew they were lucky enough to be part of one of Swiss football’s greatest days. This was only their ninth victory over Italy in 62 attempts.

“Wir fahren nach Berlin!” was among the chants – we’re going to Berlin. They already were in Berlin but they meant they’d be coming back for the final on July 14th. Their next stop is Düsseldorf, where they play either England or Slovakia the quarter-final on July 6th. A semi-final would be an unprecedented achievement for the Swiss national team, but this side is good enough to do it. And why stop there? Granit Xhaka might be three wins from the Ballon d’Or.