Eighth game in a row without a win After relegation, the Nati also disappoint in Northern Ireland

Jan Arnet

21.3.2025

Isaac Schmidt is one of four Nati debutants in Northern Ireland.
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Murat Yakin experiments in the first international match of the year. Four players make their international debuts. However, the start to the national team year is not successful. Switzerland only drew 1-1 in Northern Ireland after a poor performance.

21.03.2025, 22:36

21.03.2025, 23:46

He is not particularly fast, but very effective: this is how Stefan Gartenmann introduced himself to the media during the training camp in Almancil. While the self-deprecating presentation earned him sympathy points, the first test match showed that the newcomer to the national team was not lying about his reduced speed.

After a quarter of an hour, a long ball was enough to put the central defender in trouble. He held his opponent, saw yellow and conceded a free kick near the penalty area. Northern Ireland's 21-year-old hopeful Isaac Price stepped up, took the ball and headed past Gregor Kobel in his corner.

An early setback in Belfast, in which Gartenmann played a part: an extremely bitter debut for the 28-year-old, who lives in Denmark but was able to become a naturalized citizen at relatively short notice thanks to a grandfather who grew up in Switzerland. He received his Swiss passport on March 11, and ten days later he was in the starting eleven for the national team.

Sierro's first goal

However, it would be too short-sighted to blame Gartenmann alone for the false start. Switzerland struggled as a team in the opening minutes. The absence of leading players Manuel Akanji in central defense and, above all, Granit Xhaka in midfield was noticeable. For a long time, the Swiss passed the ball back and forth without any ideas, waiting in vain for quick attacking moves or passes into the deep areas.

It was the expected tough game against an opponent who had recently won five in a row in front of their own fans without conceding a goal. This streak was broken after just under half an hour.

Sierro nodded in to make it 1:1.
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The fact that Switzerland's equalizer came from a set piece was hardly surprising given their lack of attacking ideas. Vincent Sierro was on hand to head home a cross from Ricardo Rodriguez. It was the 29-year-old Toulouse international's first goal as an international in his eleventh appearance.

Four players make their debut

The second debutant in the starting eleven alongside Gartenmann was Isaac Schmidt. Yakin was hoping that the 25-year-old right-back would make his mark in attack. And he delivered in part. The Leeds United player caught the eye with two blocked shots and won a few running duels. A solid debut overall.

Lucas Blondel, who came on for Schmidt in the 68th minute, and Alvyn Sanches also made their first appearances for the Swiss national team. The attacking artist from Lausanne-Sport crossed in the 78th minute, which Andi Zeqiri almost converted to make it 2-1. However, his header was blocked. Seconds before the end, Sanches was injured in a tackle and was unable to finish the game.

Concerns about national team debutant SanchesYakin: "Extremely bitter if it's something bad" - Association gives first update

Without a win in eight games

Otherwise, there was little to see offensively from the Swiss side despite significantly more possession. Breel Embolo, who captained the team for the first time in his 74th international match, also remained inconspicuous. Overall, the Northern Irish even had the better chances to score the second goal. Price and Ethan Galbraith narrowly missed the target, while Jamie Donley's header was saved by Kobel.

It was Switzerland's eighth game in a row without a win, with their last success dating back to the European Championship round of 16 against Italy at the end of June. This was followed by a poor Nations League campaign and relegation to League B. Tuesday offers the chance to end this inglorious streak. The second test match of the year will see them face Luxembourg in St. Gallen.

"Creativity was missing"What Yakin and the Nati players say after the draw against Northern Ireland

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Northern Ireland

Completed

1:1

(1:1)

Switzerland

Isaac Price - 1:0 (16.)

(29.) 1:1 - Vincent Sierro

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90.

Final whistle

The game ends 1:1.

90.

3 minutes stoppage time

There are only moments left for the Nati to snatch victory.

88.

Sow with first Nati game since October 2023

Djibril Sow is also substituted in the final minutes. It was his first match for the national team in a year and a half. Goalscorer Sierro is off.

85.

The final minutes are underway

The Swiss passing machine continues to run at full speed. But mostly only around the halfway line. If the Swiss find a way into the final third, the ball is usually quickly cleared away again. Will the lively Sanches perhaps find a solution at the end?

78.

Strong action from Sanches

Finally, another shot on goal from the Swiss. Sanches makes his way down the right and crosses perfectly into the middle. Zeqiri gets his head to it and forces the Northern Ireland goalkeeper to make a save. The subsequent corner comes to nothing.

75.

Kobel saves Switzerland from going behind

Northern Ireland are not often on the attack, but when they are, they are usually dangerous. This is also the case after a corner kick. Kobel just manages to clench his fist after a header and keep it out.

73.

The Nati in search of scoring chances

Monteiro and Sanches bring some momentum to the Swiss game. But even they still lack the brilliant idea to create danger in the Northern Ireland penalty area. The Swiss have just under 20 minutes left to secure victory, which would be good for their confidence after seven consecutive games without a win.

68.

Debut for Blondel and Sanches

After Gartenmann and Schmidt, the other two newcomers Lucas Blondel and Alvyn Sanches now also get a chance. They come on for Schmidt and Ndoye.

59.

Zeqiri, Monteiro and Rieder come into the game

Three changes for the Nati: Zeqiri, Monteiro and Rieder come in for Embolo, Vargas and Aebischer. For Embolo in particular, who led the team onto the pitch as captain, it was an evening to forget. The Monaco striker hardly had a successful move. Rodriguez has taken over the captain's armband.

55.

Next chance for Northern Ireland

The home team still have the better chances. After a deflected cross, Gaibraith is quickest to react and takes a direct shot. The ball flies just wide of the goal.

52.

Schmidt stopped at the last moment

Newcomer Gartenmann repeatedly tries to find the Swiss strikers with high balls. This works to some extent, but has not yet led to any goalscoring opportunities. It works better with quick passing sequences. Or when Rodriguez gets involved in the attack. With a strong pass, he launches Isaac Schmidt, the other newcomer to the national team, whose shot is blocked at the last moment.

47.

Northern Ireland almost score a second goal

The Northern Irish almost take the lead again. After a free-kick cross, Price, the goalscorer, gets his shot away from around five meters out but cannot control the ball properly and fails to get it on target. Luck for Switzerland.

46.

The game is back underway

The 2nd half has started. Hopp Schwiiz!

45.

Half-time

The last offensive action before the break belongs to the home team. Boli's shot from 20 meters fizzes just two meters past the goal. Then the first 45 minutes are over. It has been a weak performance from Switzerland so far. The absence of Granit Xhaka is clearly noticeable. Let's hope things improve in the second half.

The stats from the first half: 76% possession for Switzerland, but hardly any shots on goal.
Screenshot SRF

43.

Tough game

The Nati are still struggling here. Of course, this is a team that has never played together like this before. Individually, however, the Swiss have much more quality than the Northern Irish and so it is sobering to see how few successful moves Murat Yakin's team manage to produce.

37.

A contested game

The equalizer has given Switzerland a bit of a boost. Dangerous penalty-area scenes remain in short supply, however. The game has developed into a contested exchange of blows with some rough tackles. Vargas receives a yellow card for a foul.

32.

Rodriguez overtakes Shaqiri with his assist

Ricardo Rodriguez's appearance against Northern Ireland brings his international tally to 126. The Zurich native has now overtaken Xherdan Shaqiri in the list of Swiss record players. Shaqiri, who retired after the European Championship in Germany, is now in third place, while Granit Xhaka, who is absent from the current squad, remains at the top with 135 caps.

29.

TOOOOR! Sierro with the equalizer!

1:1! The Nati equalize out of nowhere. With the first shot on goal. After a Rodriguez corner, Sierro rises highest and nods home. It's the Toulouse mercenary's first ever goal in a Nati shirt.

Sierro brings Switzerland back into the game.
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24.

Nati with more pace after falling behind - but still without a shot on goal

The Swiss want to react immediately and go on the offensive. But this is anything but easy against the well-organized defence of the home team. The Northern Irish were able to fend off one attack after another. The Nati have still not scored.

16.

GOAL! Northern Ireland take the lead

And then Switzerland are actually behind! Isaac Price sinks the free kick superbly into the far corner. There's nothing for Kobel to stop from this distance.

15.

Yellow for newcomer Gartenmann

After a quarter of an hour, Stefan Gartenmann is called into action for the first time. The newcomer to the national team only knows how to help himself with a foul in a duel with striker Lee Bonis. This results in a yellow card and a free kick for Northern Ireland from a dangerous position.

12.

Nati with plenty of possession

The home team have now pulled well back. The Swiss have what feels like 80 percent possession, but still lack the sparkling idea to launch the attack around Breel Embolo and Co.

Nati coach Murat Yakin sees a confident Nati in the starting phase. But they still lack a brilliant idea.
Keystone

Still no offensive action from the Nati

A somewhat nervous start for the Nati. One or two mistakes creep in right from the start. However, the Northern Irish are not (yet) able to capitalize on this. The Swiss have now taken control of the game, but are still waiting for their first chance to score.

Kobel has to intervene for the first time

The first successful offensive action belongs to Northern Ireland. Smyth is played on in the penalty area and takes the ball dangerously to the middle. No problem for Kobel though.

Kick-off!

The ball is rolling ... Hopp Schwiiz!

90.+5.

End of 2nd half

90.+3.

Yellow card Switzerland

Denis Zakaria

87.

Substitution in Switzerland

Djibril Sow

Midfielder

87.

Substitution out Switzerland

Vincent Sierro

Midfielder

74.

Substitution in Northern Ireland

Terry Devlin

Midfielder

74.

Substitution out Northern Ireland

Ethan Galbraith

Striker

69.

Substitution in Northern Ireland

Justin Devenny

Midfielder

69.

Substitution out Northern Ireland

George Saville

Midfielder

68.

Substitution in Switzerland

Lucas Blondel

Defender

68.

Substitution out Switzerland

Isaac Schmidt

Defender

68.

Substitution in Switzerland

Alvyn Sanches

Striker

68.

Substitution out Switzerland

Dan Ndoye

Paul Smyth

36.

Yellow card Switzerland

Ruben Vargas

29.

Goal for Switzerland, 1:1 through Vincent Sierro

Vincent Sierro

Midfielder

16.

Goal for Northern Ireland, 1:0 through Isaac Price

Isaac Price

Striker

15.

Yellow card Switzerland

Stefan Gartenmann

Yellow card Northern Ireland

Lee Bonis

Start of the match

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It's about to start

"Stepping out in the dawn ..."

The national anthems begin.

It's about to start

Only a few minutes to go until the start of the match

The players are ready in the tunnel and will soon take to the pitch. Will the national team get the win?

Before the game

Wegmann ahead of the Nati game: "I'm excited about Gartenmann"

The Nati test against Northern Ireland in Belfast. Michi Wegmann is on site for blue Sport and says before the game: "I'm excited about the newcomers, especially Stefan Gartenmann."

Before the game

How the Nati will start against Northern Ireland

Switzerland's line-up: Kobel; Schmidt, Gartenmann, Zesiger, Rodriguez; Zakaria, Sierro, Aebischer; Ndoye, Vargas; Embolo.

Die Aufstellung fürs erste Spiel des Jahres
La compo pour le premier match de l'année
La formazione per la prima partita dell'anno

📺 SRF 2, RTS 2, RSI La 2 pic.twitter.com/PMfk6SrcZB
— 🇨🇭 Nati (@nati_sfv_asf) March 21, 2025

In the first international match of the year, national team coach Murat Yakin is relying on two debutants in defense. Isaac Schmidt and Stefan Gartenmann will play from the start in the test match against Northern Ireland.

Their nomination came as a surprise, but now they are even in the starting eleven: Right-back Isaac Schmidt and central defender Stefan Gartenmann are part of the back four that should ensure that Switzerland remain without conceding a goal in Belfast.

Schmidt moved from St. Gallen to Leeds United in the English second division at the start of the season. However, the 25-year-old has hardly featured this season. Gartenmann, on the other hand, is a regular for Ferencvaros in the Hungarian league. The 28-year-old grew up in Denmark and has only held a Swiss passport for just under two weeks.

Together with the two newcomers, Cédric Zesiger, who has impressed with strong performances in Augsburg, and Ricardo Rodriguez form the defense. This will be the 126th international match for the left-back from Betis Sevilla.

In midfield, the Swiss national team coach will rely on Denis Zakaria, Vincent Sierro and Michel Aebischer. Dan Ndoye and Ruben Vargas are expected to provide goalscoring threat on the flanks, while Breel Embolo, making his first appearance as captain in his 74th international match, will play as usual in the center of attack.

There are no surprises in the goalkeeper position either: Gregor Kobel is the nominal number one between the posts.

Before the game

Embolo captain for the first time

In his 74th international match, Breel Embolo will lead the national team as captain for the first time in the absence of Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji. Read more here.

Before the game

Surprising line-up from Yakin

Switzerland will have to do without a number of regular players in Belfast. Among others, the two top stars Granit Xhaka and Manuel Akanji will not be present. Nevertheless, the Nati will go into the game as big favorites. Northern Ireland have been missing big names like George Best for a long time. Murat Yakin is likely to try out a few things. After all, he has called up four newcomers in Lucas Blondel, Stefan Gartenmann, Isaac Schmidt and Alvyn Sanches.

In Belfast, many things are different than usual for the national team anyway. Read more here.

Before the game

Hello ...

and welcome to the first Nati match of 2025. Switzerland are testing against Northern Ireland in Belfast. After a disastrous Nations League with relegation to League B, the national team is finally looking to win a game again. The last victory came in the round of 16 against Italy (2:0) at the end of June at Euro 2024.

A look at the last duels with the Northern Irish gives hope. In the last five meetings, the national team have not conceded a single goal, although they have also drawn 0-0 three times. The last defeat came in 1998.