One European giant is moving on while another is going home after the knockout round of Euro 2024 kicked off on Saturday.
A dismal display by reigning champions Italy was totally unexpected after its great escape against Croatia in its group stage finale. But full credit must go to Switzerland who out-thought and out-fought the Azzurri to book its spot in the quarter-finals.
While Italy fell completely on its face, Germany withstood a bit of a scare in a tight game against Denmark that was stopped late in the first half for roughly 25 minutes due to lightning in the local area. The weather delay didn’t throw off the Germans, as they demonstrated their class on the pitch in dispatching their pesky Danish opponents.
Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s games at Euro 2024.
THE RESULTS
Switzerland 2, Italy 0 in Berlin: Match report || Match stats
Germany 2, Denmark 0 in Dortmund: Match report || Match stats
MAIN TALKING POINTS
Reigning champions Italy bows out in meek manner
There’s no shame in losing to Switzerland. Ranked No. 19 in the world, the Swiss entered Euro 2024 as one the tournament’s top dark horses, and they showed why in the group stage by going unbeaten and pushing host nation Germany to the very end in a 1-1 draw.
But Italy, No. 10, are the defending champions and were unbeaten in its previous 11 encounters against Switzerland. You’d have expected more of a spirited display from the Azzurri on Saturday. Instead, the Italians meekly bowed out of the tournament with one of their worst performances in recent memory. Timid. Tame. Tepid. Choose your adjective. They all apply to what we saw from Italy in Berlin.
Manager Luciano Spalletti has plenty to answer for, from his questionable player selections (including giving starts to Stephan El Shaarawy, Nicolò Fagioli and Bryan Cristante) to his tactical approach. Italy stood off Switzerland and allowed it to control the game. At the same time, the Swiss outworked the Italians, closing them down at every turn and giving them very little time on the ball.
Remo Freuler’s goal in the 37th minute was well taken, but came as a result of some poor defensive marking from the Italians. Still in the game at the start of the second half, the Azzurri immediately turned the ball over and never touched it again before Ruben Vargas scored on a highlight-reel goal past goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma just 27 seconds after the restart.
Italy’s limp and lifeless attack couldn’t find a way to penetrate Switzerland’s compact and well-organized back line. As the game dragged on, you almost felt sorry for Italy and hoped that the referee blew the whistle early to put it out of its misery. The lack of pride and passion from the Italians was disturbing to watch, and they deserve to be going home with their tails firmly tucked between their legs.
“What made the difference was the tempo, we were too slow compared to them in the first half. Even in terms of individuals, there was a different tempo of the movements and the duels. Unfortunately, sharpness and tempo make the difference,” Spalletti told RAI Sports after the loss.
Germany gathering momentum
Spare a thought for Denmark’s Joachim Andersen. After a tightly-contested opening 45 minutes against Germany, the Danes appeared to take the lead early in the second half through Andersen. But the Crystal Palace defender’s goal was waived off for offside following a VAR review as the Germans were given a lifeline.
Moments later at the other end of the pitch, Andersen prevented Germany from scoring on a quick counter attack. But the VAR reviewed the play and then alerted referee Michael Oliver who judged Anderson to have handled the ball inside his area. Kai Havertz converted from the penalty spot to give his side the lead and stick a dagger in the heart of a Danish team that played Germany even to that point.
It would get worse for Andersen in the 68th minute when he was beaten for pace by Germany’s Jamal Musiala, who slipped in behind him to latch onto a ball over the top from Nico Schlotterbeck and broke in a goal before firing past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. That sucker-punch of a goal effectively killed off the game, allowing the Germans to finally put the Danes in their place.
A game of very fine margins was won by Germany, who rebounded from a somewhat subpar performance in its group stage finale (a 1-1 draw vs. Switzerland) and looks to be gathering genuine momentum going into the quarter-finals.
MOMENT OF THE DAY
Danish fans didn’t let the torrential downpour in Dortmund, nor the massive leak at the top of Signal Iduna Park stadium, dampen their spirits when the game was halted late in the first half.
SOCIAL MEDIA POST OF THE DAY
STAT OF THE DAY
Just how dominant was Switzerland against Italy? This will give you a good idea:
THREE STARS OF THE DAY
1. Remo Freuler (Switzerland): His opening goal provided Switzerland with a solid foundation after a dominant opening 30 minutes vs. Italy. He ran himself ragged in central midfield to keep the Swiss attack continuously ticking over against the lackadaisical Italians.
2. Antonio Rüdiger (Germany): The Real Madrid defender was a tower of strength in the middle of Germany’s back line as he helped his team earn its second clean sheet of the tournament. Rüdiger finished the game with two interceptions, four clearances and four blocked shots.
3. Ruben Vargas (Switzerland): He gave Italy’s back line plenty of fits with his probing runs and great interlinking play. Helped set up Freuler’s opening goal and then scored on a beautiful curler from 20 yards out to seal a famous Swiss win.
LOOKING AHEAD
The round of 16 continues on Sunday with England taking on Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen and Spain facing Georgia in Cologne. The English have underwhelmed at this tournament as manager Gareth Southgate hasn’t been able to get the best out of his star-studded team. Spain has yet to concede a goal at this tournament, but that record could come under threat against a fearless Georgia side that has scored four times and is coming off an upset win over Portugal.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for several media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic can be found here.