Switzerland 0-0 Italy – Euro 2024: Live updates as Breel Embolo is denied in best of chances in first knock-out game, after Italians AXED Jorginho and entire front line
The first big chance!
Embolo could have put Switzerland ahead, but big players step up in big games and that’s why Donnarumma has been so important for Italy during this tournament.
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Xhaka looks as if he has been feeling some sort of problem in his groin on the left side. Has been stretching and wincing at times.
He’s been down on the floor with it once and after spraying that pass out wide to Ndoye he stamped his left foot down on the ground a couple of times as if something was aggravating him… still he’s dictating play quite superbly deep in the Swiss midfield.
Switzerland 0-0 italy
And now it’s Italy’s turn to attack with Manuel Akanji getting a foot to El Shaarawy’s shot from a tight angle!
Italy have a corner but the Man City defender is back again to clear the danger with his head.
Switzerland 0-0 Italy
Big Chance!
Italy have been opened up here by Embolo. He latches onto an excellent through-ball and has a strike at goal. He attempts to curl his shot around Donnarumma in net but the Italian goalkeeper is there to block the shot.
Italy almost seemed to fall asleep there!
Switzerland 0-0 Italy
Its a clever free-kick with Chiesa sliding Cristante behind the Swiss wall but his cross goes out for a corner. The deliver in is dealt with well by Schar, but Italy are starting to come into this match.
Barella back on
Barrella is back on the pitch after appearing to hurt his hamstring and Italy seem to be looking a bit brighter.
Scamacca has crashed forward with the ball, and races through before winning a free-kick inside the Switzerland half.
It’s about 27 metres out from the goal, with a crowd of players around the ball. What can they do here?
Switzerland 0-0 Italy
Italy seem to be getting frustrated by Switzerland’s possession at the start of this half with Giovanni Di Lorenzo going in late on Ruben Vargas.
The referee gives a free-kick out wide on the left flank, but it comes to nothing. A chance wasted.
Spalletti and Mancini in deep discussion
Spalletti and Mancini appeared in deep discussion during the brief stoppage for Barrella’s injury. Looks like the Swiss are getting more bodies into Italy’s half, which will be a concern for the Italian manager.
MATT BARLOW: The better team with the better tempo
Ndoye, who was so dangerous up front against Germany, has started as right wing-back for the Swiss.
Rieder looks like he has the job of disturbing Fagioli, Italy’s deep lying playmaker… it’s a 4-3-2-1 formation, and it has been a composed start for Switzerland, the better team with a better tempo in the first eight or nine mins.
Switzerland 0-0 Italy
Switzerland are looking much the better team so far and Vargas has been a big threat down this left side, a pretty good change from Murat Yakin.
Bit of a worry though here for Italy with Nicolo Barella appearing to go down holding his hamstring.
‘Their best midfielder. This would be a huge blow for Italy,’ says BBC pundit Danny Murphy.
The medics are on the field and Barella has risen to his feet but he looks in some discomfort, clutching his leg.
‘Probably needed’
Danny Murphy, speaking on BBC’s commentary of the match, believes that Italy’s changes were ‘probably needed’ following their late draw against Croatia.
Perhaps the former pro is right Italy really did need a bit of freshness, but so far Switzerland have swamped them.
They’re back on the attack again and Vargas has just put a brilliant cross in.
Italy clear the danger but they’re looking slow to get off the mark here.
Switzerland 0-0 Italy
Good start from the Swiss! They’ve won an early corner but Italy, even without the towering Calafiori, head the ball away.
Kick-off!
And the knockout stages are underway!
Switzerland go long straight away but Italy regain possession!
It’ll be interesting to see how Italy cope without Calafiori today.
A ‘mole’ in the Italy camp?
Concerns have been raised this week by Luciano Spalletti that his players had leaked his side’s formation against Croatia to members of the media.
Spalletti raged during his press conference earlier in the week claiming that those who were allegedly leaking information were ‘weak’.
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Luciano Spalletti rages at possibility players are ‘leaking tactics’
Look who’s here!
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has been pictured in the stands ahead of the match.
His allegiances may be a little split today, with Infantino being born in Switzerland but holding Italian citizenship!
Here come the players!
Just a reminder, and a bit of a surprise, Jorginho has been dropped from Spalletti’s starting line-up after the Italy boss made SIX changes to his side that secured a last-gasp draw against Crotia.
Drastic measures from the Italy boss, but will it pay off? We’ll find out very shortly with the anthems coming up now!
Switzerland lead the way on goals
Switzerland are one of the top-ranked sides at the tournament for goals scored at Euro 2024 so far, having scored five goals to put them level with both Spain and Portugal.
Italy, meanwhile, have struggled to find the back of the net and sit 10th in the rankings, having only scored three times.
Against Croatia, Italy had 13 attempts on goal but could only get three of them on target.
Luciano Spalletti will be hoping his side can be much more clinical today…
The warm-ups are underway!
Italy are out warming up ahead of today’s clash!
Interestingly, four of Italy and Switzerland’s last five meetings have all ended in draws, with the pair coming last playing out a 1-1 draw in their World Cup qualifier back in 2021.
What a way to qualify!
We’ve seen some sensational goals at Euro 2024 so far, but this has to be up there as one of the most sensational moments of the tournament thus far.
At 1-0 down against Croatia, Mattia Zaccagni would equalise with this stunning curling effort to send Italy through to the knockout stages of the competition in the 98th minute of their clash.
Had it not been for this moment of magic, it could have been Luka Modric and Croatia playing tonight.
An underwhelming tournament so far for the Azzurri?
Italy have come under some scrutiny over their performances so far at Euro 2024, having lost once, drawn once and won once during the group stages.
It was their disappointing 1-0 defeat by Spain that raised the most alarm bells, with Luciano Spaletti’s side conceding an own goal in the 55th minute of the game – having only four attempts on goal.
The defending champions have struggled to create chances thus far at the tournament, with Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer having given a candid appraisal of the 2020 European Champions.
‘I think on what we’ve seen tonight they were poor, there seemed to be a lack of ideas when they got into the final third and when it got to the two forwards there was a lack of movement,’ Rooney told the BBC when assessing Italy’s display.
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Rooney and Shearer slam Italy’s ‘poor’ performance vs Croatia
How did Switzerland get here?
Murat Yakin’s side have enjoyed a decent tournament so far having gone unbeaten at Euro 2024.
Their only victory came against Hungary in their opening game of the tournament, in which they claimed a 3-1 victory. They showed their resilience in their second match, coming back to seal a draw against an envigorated Scotland team following their disappointing defeat against Germany in their first game.
Xherdan Shaqiri provided a moment of magic with a sensational goal that cancelled out Scott McTominay’s opener, with Switzerland going on to seal their spot in the last 16 with a 1-1 draw against Germany, one of the favourites to win the tournament.
Dan Ndoye was their lone goalscorer that day and the 23-year-old has been one of the players to watch so far at the tournament.
Will he have a big role to play again later this afternoon?
Kick-off is fast approaching and we’re set to get underway here at the Olympiastadion Berlin at 5pm GMT.
A sneak peak behind the scenes…
All the preparation is done, the dressing rooms are ready, we’re now just waiting for kick off!
It won’t be long before the players are out warming up so here’s a sneak peek behind the scenes at the dressing rooms.
A big game for England and Slovakia
No doubt England and Slovakia will be watching this match with a keen eye…
As the players step out onto the pitch to assess the conditions, they will know a berth in the quarter-finals awaits and a potential tie between the winners of tomorrow’s last-16 clash between England and Slovakia.
Will we see a repeat of the Euro 2020 final in the next round of games?
MATT BARLOW: No place for 98th mintue hero Zaccagni
That’s six changes by Italy from the draw with Croatia and a change of formation… Calafiori (suspended), Dimarco, Pellegrini, Raspadori, Retegui & Jorginho all out. But no place for 98th-minute hero of Leipzig, Zaccagni. He’s back on the bench.
Italy team news!
Riccardo Calafiori is suspended after picking up two yellow cards in the group stages also, so he’ll miss out of this afternoon’s clash.
Meanwhile Federico Dimarco is out with a calf strain for Italy, while Jorginho also misses out alongside Giacomo Raspadori and Mateo Retegui on a space in the starting line up.
Gianluca Scamacca, Stephen El Shaarawy, Bryan Cristante, Nicolo Fagioli and Federico Chiesa all come into Luciano Spalletti’s first XI – with Gianluca Manchini starting at centre back in place of Calafiori.
MATT BARLOW: It’s a hot day in Berlin!
The last time I was at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium, on the opening weekend of the tournament, I was in my coat and dodging showers… today there is oppressive heat and very little breeze. Summer has settled in Germany. Fans are seeking shade, hydration and something to fans themselves with…
TEAM NEWS: How Switzerland and Italy line-up
One change in now for Switzerland with Ruben Vargas coming in for Silvan Widmer who was suspended after the latter was suspended after picking up two yellow cards during the group stage of the tournament.
Switzerland XI: Sommer; Akanji, Schar, Rodriguez; Aebischer, Freuler, Xhaka, Rieder; Vargas, Ndoye, Embolo
Italy XI: Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Darmian; Barella, Fagioli, Cristante; Chiesa, Scamacca, El Shaarawy
Can Switzerland shock the world again?
Three years (and one day) ago, Switzerland pulled off one of the biggest shocks at Euro 2020.
To the surprise of pretty much everyone, the Swiss came from 3-1 down to beat tournament favourites France and send them packing.
Late goals from Haris Seferovic and Mario Gavranovic helped tie the match and send it to penalties – which they eventually won 5-4.
Neither of those players are part of their squad in Germany but fans will hope they can still conjure up some of the same magic tonight.
The penalty advice that could save a nation…
As we enter the knockout rounds of the competition, we must also prepare for the possibility of heading into a penalty shootout.
It’s something that most England fans will fear given the disastrous history that the Three Lions have from the spot.
Here, Professor Geir Jordet explains to Mail Sport the psychology behind penalties and how to not choke whilst taking them.
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Revealed: How to take the perfect penalty… according to the expert
The atmosphere is building in Berlin!
We’re still over an hour and a half away from kick-off at the Olympiastadion but that hasn’t stopped the fans from partying!
Supporters from both nations have been seen embracing the festivities ahead of the game – with plenty of face-paint on show.
It’s also absolutely scorching in Berlin at the moment, so there’s been a few ice creams accompanying the pre-match pints.
Here’s how the knockout rounds look…
After the final set of group stage fixtures on Wednesday, the knockout round matches were confirmed and there’s some tasty games ahead.
England fans will be well aware that the Three Lions will be in action on Sunday afternoon when they take on Slovakia in Gelsenkirchen.
Meanwhile, after this afternoon’s match, hosts Germany will take on Dortmund in a highly-anticipated clash in Dortmund.
The most exciting fixture, however, will certainly be France’s meeting with Belgium on Monday – a repeat of the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.
Are the reigning champions in danger of an early exit?
After lifting the Euro 2020 title at Wembley, it’s been a fairly difficult time for the Italian national side.
They failed to qualify for the World Cup in Qatar and have now endured a relatively underwhelming start to Euro 2024.
And it hasn’t taken long for Luciano Spalletti to show his frustrations, as he ripped into a reporter after their 1-1 draw with Croatia.
Click below to read more…
Italy are in danger of early exit if Spalletti can’t keep his cool
Good afternoon!
Welcome to Mail Sport’s live blog covering the first game of the knockout rounds at Euro 2024 – as Switzerland and Italy prepare to go head-to-head.
The two nations endured contrasting experience in the group stage with Switzerland boasting an unbeaten record so far in the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Azzurri have been somewhat underwhelming after a narrow victory over Albania was followed by defeat to Spain and draw to Croatia.
Luciano Spalletti will be hoping for a more convincing performance from his side today, when they kick-off at 5pm.
We’ll have team news, updates and more as we build-up to the match… so don’t go anywhere!
More Details: Read More
