France were knocked out by Switzerland in one of the biggest upsets in Euro 2020. Both the sides were tied at 3-3 after 120 minutes. Then. Kylian Mbappe missed one penalty kick as the Swiss moved to the quarterfinals with a 5-4 penalty shootout win.
Karim Benzema and Paul Pogba scored for Les Blues whereas Haris Seferovic and Mario Gavranovic scored for the Men in Red. It was a crazy night in European football as Spain also won 5-3 after extra time against Croatia.
Switzerland were coming into the knockouts by finishing third in Group A with a win, a draw and a loss.
France 3-3 Switzerland : Team News
Didier Deschamps made three changes to the line-up and fielded an unusual 3-5-2 formation.
Whereas, Vladimir Petkovic made no changes in the starting 11 and fielded his preferred 3-4-1-2 formation.
France 3-3 Switzerland : Analysis
Despite an unusual formation opted by Deschamps, the world champions were still dominant in terms of possession as well as creating chances. However, it was surely a busy day for goalkeepers on either sides, Yann Sommer and Hugo Lloris. The former had a difficult time but all the hands were on deck!
Surprisingly, it was the Swiss team, who took a first half lead in the 15th minute by a thumping header from Seferovic. The French were clearly struggling with their new formation but adapted to it in the second half. However, they conceded a penalty in the 54th minute but Lloris came to the rescue.
But, Karim Benzema equalized in the 57th minute after a superior ball control by the Frenchman. Benzema helped the Blues lead for the first time in the match after a tap-in header just two minutes later. Paul Pogba extended the lead even further after a sumptuous curler.
However, the joy didn’t last long as Seferovic added his second goal in the 81st minute. The three-men defence of France was clearly exposed. Finally, in the 90th minute, super-sub Gavranovic made it all square. The game moved into penalties after both the sides failed to score another goal.
All the eight initial penalty-kick takers scored goals for either sides. But, Kylian Mbappe missed after an easy save from Sommer!
Notable Performances
Haris Seferovic (8/10) – He put up a world-class performance against France and was the main architect in Swiss attack.
Granit Xhaka (7.5/10) – The Swiss skipper was brilliant in the midfield. He was well-organized and played an instrumental role in their 3rd goal.
Raphael Varane (5/10) – Poor defensive performance from the Real Madrid defender. He struggled considerably in the new system and wasn’t leading the defence.
Will Yann Sommer inspire the Rossocrociati in another upset over three-time Euro champs Spain ?
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