First the sending off against Nico Elvedi, then the behavior of the Danes before the first goal conceded - the Nati feels disadvantaged in the Nations League opener in Copenhagen. Rightly so? blue Sport asks refereeing expert Pascal Erlachner.
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- The Swiss national team is defeated 2-0 by Denmark in the first match of the Nations League group stage and receives two red cards.
- Nico Elvedi's sending off in particular caused a stir. Refereeing expert Pascal Erlachner called it a bad decision and even saw a foul on the Swiss player: "The Danish player clutched Elvedi's arm."
The anger in the Swiss national team camp after the 2-0 defeat in Copenhagen is huge. "There's no need to discuss the red card. It's a huge scandal for me," said captain Granit Xhaka after the final whistle, furious about the sending off of team-mate Nico Elvedi shortly after the break. Manuel Akanji sees more of a foul by Elvedi's opponent and says: "I think it's blatant that the referee looks at the situation in the video and still shows the red card."
Initially, the referee Daniel Siebert decides to award a penalty to Denmark, but is then called to the screen by the VAR and reverses the decision after consulting the images. However, Siebert does not award a free kick to Switzerland, but gives a free kick to Denmark and sends off Elvedi.
According to refereeing expert Pascal Erlachner, this is the wrong decision. "The Danish player clutches Elvedi's arm. As a result, he brings Elvedi down. For me, that would be a free kick for Switzerland," says Erlachner in an interview with blue Sport. "For me, the red card is a wrong decision because Elvedi is fouled first."
Difficult final phase for Siebert
The final straw, however, came in the 82nd minute. Embolo remains on the ground after a tackle, but the Danes don't think about playing the ball out - and promptly score the opening goal against nine Swiss players. "Practically every one of our players asked the Danes to play the ball out. Unfortunately, that wasn't fair play on their part," said an annoyed Murat Yakin.
Emotions immediately ran high and a riot broke out immediately after the goal. "From then on, it was very difficult for the referee not to let the game get out of hand," Erlachner notes, concluding: "All in all, the game was very frustrating, disappointing and unfortunate for Switzerland."
