In the last group match of the Nations League, which is of no sporting significance, coach Murat Yakin experiments without success. Switzerland lost 2:3 against Spain and ended the fall without a win.
18.11.2024, 23:00
18.11.2024, 23:07
SDA
Twice the Swiss team had some hope of snatching a point from the Estadio Heliodoro Rodriguez Lopez. In the 63rd minute, Joël Monteiro, who had come on as a substitute at the break, broke through and scored his first goal in his fourth appearance for the Swiss national team with a well-directed low shot. And after falling behind again, Andi Zeqiri scored his next goal. The striker scored from the penalty spot in the 85th minute to make it 2:2.
However, the Spaniards were not satisfied with the one point. They wanted to give the frenzied crowd, who had had to wait 28 years for another Spanish international match to be played in Tenerife, a victory. And indeed: in stoppage time, the referee again pointed to the penalty spot - this time in the Swiss penalty area. Bryan Zaragoza made the most of the opportunity and drew cheers from the crowd.
It was a spectacular finish to a wild game, especially in the second half. Spain celebrated a 3:2 victory, which was particularly significant for the fans. From a sporting point of view, the outcome of the final game was not of great value.
Many changes to the starting line-up
This was already evident in the line-ups. Spain changed their entire team compared to the match against Denmark on Friday. For the Swiss, coach Murat Yakin started with a quartet that had hardly been given a chance to show their stuff. Miro Muheim made his national team debut at left-back, making him the second player in the Swiss starting eleven to play in a second division alongside Mvogo.
Behind striker Zeki Amdouni, Filip Ugrinic (previously 3 partial appearances in the national team), Simon Sohm (1) and Dereck Kutesa (2) lined up. They were all in the starting line-up for the first time as national team players. This was obvious, as the offense remained pale for a long time. This was also due to the fact that the Spaniards still have world-class players at their disposal, even when their second string is deployed. Sohm, who plays for Parma, slipped in the only Swiss chance worth mentioning in the first half.
Monteiro draws attention to himself
In the second half, caution was increasingly thrown overboard and a back-and-forth developed towards the end. Monteiro wrote a nice story with his 1:1. The YB attacker had only received his Swiss passport shortly before the European Championship in Germany, but was not called up for the tournament after a brief guest appearance in the training camp. He has now shown that he can be an attacking option in the future.
However, Monteiro was also at the center of attention when the Spaniards regained the lead just five minutes later. Bryan Gil benefited from a coordination problem between Monteiro and Remo Freuler and, like the Swiss player before him, thumped the ball into the net. The game then ended with two penalties.
After a largely unpleasant Nations League fall, the national team now faces an extended break. It will resume in March next year, when Switzerland is expected to take part in the World Cup qualifiers for the first time. The groups will be drawn in Zurich on December 13.
Telegrams and rankings:
Spain - Switzerland 3:2 (1:0)
Tenerife. - 21'204 spectators. - Ref Dankert (GER). - Goals: 32nd Pino 1:0. 63rd Monteiro (Sierro) 1:1. 68th Gil 2:1. 85th Zeqiri (penalty) 2:2. 93rd Zaragoza (penalty) 3:2.
Spain: Remiro (46. Sanchez); Mingueza, Paredes, Cubarsi, Grimaldo; Ruiz, Casado; Pino (69. Zaragoza), Pedri (79. Barrios), Williams (60. Gil); Morata (46. Omorodion).
Switzerland: Mvogo; Fernandes, Cömert, Rodriguez, Muheim; Freuler, Xhaka (60. Sierro); Ugrinic (46. Monteiro), Sohm (60. Rieder), Kutesa (72. Okafor); Amdouni (46. Zeqiri).
Comments: Switzerland without Embolo (suspended), Jashari (ill), Akanji, Amenda, Elvedi, Ndoye, Zakaria (all injured), among others. Spain without Oyarzabal (suspended), Carvajal, Le Normand, Rodri, Torres, Yamal (all injured/not in the squad). 32nd Mvogo saves Pedri's penalty. Cautions: 62 for Pino, 81 for Cömert (suspended for next match), 84 for Zaragoza.
Serbia 0-0 Denmark - referee Zwayer (GER). - Remarks: 95th yellow-red card against Pavlovic (Serbia).
Ranking: 1. Spain 6/16 (13:4). 2. Denmark 6/8 (7:5). 3. Serbia 6/6 (3:6). 4. Switzerland 6/2 (6:14).
