The Swiss men's team has reached the final at the European Championships in Lohja, Finland. The team led by skip Yannick Schwaller defeated Italy 8:7 in the semi-final and will face Sweden on Saturday afternoon.
28.11.2025, 10:57
28.11.2025, 11:09
SDA
Schwaller and his teammates Pablo Lachat-Couchepin, Sven Michel and Benoît Schwarz-Van Berkel could look forward to the semi-final with confidence. Looking back, they were encouraged in their belief. They had not only beaten the Italians, led by Geneva-born Joël Retornaz, in the round robin of the current tournament, but also twice two years ago in the battle for a bronze medal. Schwaller and Co. also came out on top at both the European Championships in Aberdeen, Scotland, and the World Championships in Ottawa, Canada.
In the most recent, evenly poised duel, the decision was made in the tenth end, in which Schwarz-Van Berkel made a two-point house with the last stone and thus brought about the late turnaround. The number 4 in the Swiss team had already achieved something similar two days earlier in the preliminary round. In that match, the Swiss secured a 9:8 victory thanks to a final house of three.
Sweden surprisingly beat Scotland with skip Bruce Mouat in the other semi-final. The tournament favorites had won all nine games in the round robin, the one against the Swedes 11:4. In the final against the Scandinavians on Saturday afternoon, the Swiss will have to deal with one of the best curlers in history. Skip Niklas Edin is an Olympic champion and seven-time world and European champion. In the preliminary round of this European Championship, the Swiss quartet defeated the Swedes 8:4 to open the tournament.
If successful, Schaller and his team would secure Switzerland's first European men's title in twelve years. Sven Michel led the team with Simon Gempeler, Sandro Trolliet and Claudio Pätz as skip in Stavanger, Norway. Benoît Schwarz-Van Berkel was there as a substitute.
