(Berlin) Switzerland, long attractive and full of mastery, easily took the measure of a poor Italian team (2-0), defending champion, Saturday in Berlin to become the first team to reach the quarter-finals of the Euro.
Remo Freuler (37e) and Ruben Vargas (46e) were the torturers of an Italian team that displayed the same shortcomings as in the first round matches: a lack of attacking creativity and a fragile defense that was nevertheless once again able to count on a good Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal.
Sluggish, Luciano Spalletti’s team broke down for the first time shortly after the half-hour mark. Isolated at the penalty spot by Vargas, Freuler pulled off a nice technical number (control and volley) to put the Nati in control (37e).
PHOTO MARKUS SCHREIBER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Remo Freuler
An action which highlighted the fine mechanics of the Swiss who managed a sequence of 33 passes and a possession of 1 min 25 sec before this opening score.
Donnarumma then avoided the 2-0 shortly before the break by pushing away a shot from Fabian Rieder onto the left post of his goal (45+1).
Initially a decisive passer, the excellent Vargas turned into a scorer with a shot into the top corner of the opponent’s goal, just 33 seconds after returning from the locker room.
Fabian Schär almost put the Italians back in the match by coming close to an own goal with a header that hit the frame of Yann Sommer’s goal (50e).
PHOTO AXEL HEIMKEN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The Nati players celebrated their victory in front of their supporters.
But the Italian revolt was far too timid to claim anything other than an early elimination of a soulless team, even if Gianluca Scamacca hit the left post of Sommer’s goal with a quarter of an hour to go.
A sad record for the Nazionale, absent from the last two World Cups and qualified at the last minute for the round of 16 of this Euro.
In the quarter-final, Murat Yakin’s men will face the winner of the match between England and Slovakia on July 6 in Düsseldorf.