With a 2:0 victory in Sweden, the Swiss national team took the next step towards the 2026 World Cup. However, Murat Yakin knows that this time it also needed a large portion of luck.
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- Switzerland also win their third game in the World Cup qualifiers.
- But Murat Yakin's team also needed a lot of luck in their 2-0 win in Sweden.
- After the game, Yakin emphasized the good harmony in the team and said: "It's a pleasure to watch this team."
First Alexander Isak hits the post from close range, then Lucas Bergvall is unable to put the ball in the empty net. And in the closing stages, it was Bergvall again who missed from the best position.
Murat Yakin's heart sank more than once on this Friday evening in Stockholm. "It would have been extremely difficult to come back from a goal down," said the national team coach after the game, admitting: "We were very lucky. Of course we're happy to accept that."
In the end, Yakin can breathe a sigh of relief: the Nati win 2:0 and open the door to the 2026 World Cup even wider than it already was. "It was a good performance, except for those few scenes," said the coach.
The jokers score
Yakin also proved to have a golden touch. First he brought on Djibril Sow, who scored the penalty three minutes after coming on to make it 1-0. Then he gave Luca Jaquez his international debut - in this important game. It shows how much Yakin also trusts the young players. In the final phase, he brought on Johan Manzambi - and he decided the game with his goal to make it 2-0.
"It's unbelievable what he has for a goal," says Yakin about Manzambi. "I thought he was going to the corner flag to take some time off the clock. But the guy just wants to score in every training session and every game."
In any case, the national team coach is delighted with the way his team is currently harmonizing. "You can see that in every training session, the joy of playing is huge. Even the players who come off the bench can help immediately. You could see that today. It's a pleasure to watch this team."
World Cup participation already fixed on Monday?
Special praise also goes to Granit Xhaka, who took responsibility for the penalty and put Switzerland on the road to victory with his goal. "You can see in training how good he is and how happy he is to play," said Yakin. "The fact that he takes responsibility for the penalty shows that he is our leader."
Because Kosovo only drew 0-0 with Slovenia, Switzerland now have a five-point lead over their rivals. And could secure their World Cup ticket with another win in Slovenia on Monday, provided Kosovo do not win in Sweden. But Yakin doesn't want to look that far ahead just yet: "We're starting from scratch again. We have to keep at it."