Switzerland earns a draw against Finland in the final group game and advances to the quarter-finals of a European Championship for the first time. This is what Nati boss Marion Daube and Viola Calligaris had to say the day after the game.
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- The European Women's Football Championship will take place in Switzerland from July 2 to 27. blue Sport is following the national team up close. You can find all the news and background stories here.
Switzerland makes history at the home European Championships by advancing to the knockout round. However, Marion Daube, the director of women's football, is considering an even bigger fairytale.
After a short night, Marion Daube takes her seat in front of the media in Thun. She is tired, she says, "but I'm happy to accept that. I've never been tired because of such a wonderful event," says the Director of Women's Football at the Swiss Football Association, before briefly looking back at the previous evening in Geneva, when Switzerland made it through to the quarter-finals thanks to a goal from Riola Xhemaili in stoppage time: "It was an emotional, historic and magnificent moment."
The host's dream scenario
Now it is important to clear the mind and then focus on the tasks ahead. The team spirit should be strengthened and the pressure maintained. The players have Saturday off, after which they will turn their attention to their upcoming, high-caliber quarter-final opponents.
In Bern on Friday, the national team can expect not only a strong opponent, but also another full stadium. "The support from the fans is great. It is of course the dream scenario of an organizer that the team moves the whole country. That in turn also carries the players," says Daube.
The question is how far the journey can still go for Pia Sundhage's team. So far, the plan has worked, says Daube. "I'm excited to see if we can create an even bigger summer fairytale." Football offers so much scope, "perhaps even for a really big fairytale. In any case, we want to be able to dream about it".
The media conference in the ticker
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Liveticker
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Liveticker closed
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Then all questions are answered
The media conference is over.
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Daube on women's football
"If anyone still says that women's football in Switzerland isn't interesting, I don't know where they've been in the last few weeks. I believe that we have a great future ahead of us - on and off the pitch."
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Just the beginning?
"I'm curious to see if we can create an even bigger summer fairytale," says Daube. "That might be rather difficult. But nothing is impossible in sport. (...) Football offers so much scope for a really big summer fairytale. In any case, we should be allowed to dream about it," says Daube.
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"We need a bit of rest now"
It is not yet clear what the exact national team plan will look like over the next few days. "We'll take it a bit day by day. The players will have tomorrow off, then we'll continue with our program," says Daube.
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Daube on the injured players
"They are absolutely part of the team. They were all at the games and are involved. They've played a key role in getting us to where we are now."
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Daube on the euphoria in Switzerland
"It's great to see how the whole of Switzerland is moving. When you see the fan marches, public viewings and viewer numbers on TV, it's great," says Daube and is convinced: "That also drives the players on the pitch to perform like this."
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Now it's the turn of national team boss Marion Daube
"I've never been so tired because of a wonderful event," says Daube and is delighted to have reached the quarter-finals: "It's fantastic."
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Desired opponent in the quarter-finals?
"We were beaten by Spain at the World Cup and still have a score to settle. Everything is open over 90 minutes," says Calligaris. "It's difficult to say which country I want. Both are very good teams.
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Calligaris reveals: Alisha Lehmann gave a speech before the big European Championship match
"Before the game, people always ask who would like to give the speech. Before the Iceland game, Lia asked me if I wanted to give the speech. Because I gave the speech twice when we lost, I left it to Alisha against Iceland and we won. That's why she gave the speech again against Finland and we didn't lose again."
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How did the national team celebrate?
"We enjoyed it together. We put on some music, but it wasn't a huge party," says Calligaris.
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Calligaris on her foul before the penalty
"There was a void inside me at the penalty - that was stupid and shouldn't happen to me. But that happens sometimes in football," said the 29-year-old. "But I sensed that we could still do it."
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The redemptive goal from Xhemaili
"To be honest, I was pretty relieved that Riola scored that goal. Otherwise it would have been a disaster - not just for me, but for everyone. It was nice to see that energy at the end."
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Calligaris had a short night
"I didn't sleep for more than three hours," Calligaris confessed right at the start of the media conference. "When I was in bed, I was just relieved that we had made it."
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Hello ...
... and welcome to the live ticker of the media conference with Marion Daube and Viola Calligaris. What do they say after the dramatic run to the European Championship quarter-finals?
