Euro 2020: France vs. Switzerland Match Recap
Kylian Mbappe's missed spot-kick proved costly as France were upset by Switzerland in a Euro 2020 classic. The Swiss won the game 5-4 on penalties after the teams had battled to a 3-3 draw after extra-time.
Switzerland had only won one game during the Euro 2020 group stage defeating Turkey, but struck first in this important knockout game. seferovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Haris Seferovic headed his side into the lead after rising highest to convert Steven Zuber's cross. His well-placed header left Hugo Lloris with little chance in the France goal.
France were coming off two draws to Hungary and Portugal in the Euro 2020 group stage after beating Germany in their opening game. They struggled to get going in the first half. Adrien Rabiot's effort missed the target in the 28th minute in what was his nation's only real moment of note before the break.
Euro 2020: France take lead, but Switzerland fight back in second half
Switzerland looked set to double their advantage early in the second half when they were awarded a penalty. Benjamin Pavard was deemed to have unfairly brought down Zuber in the box by the VAR. Ricardo Rodriguez stepped up to take the penalty but Lloris got down well to his right to deny him on this occasion.
The save gave France some much-needed impetus. The World Champions finally began to step things up and they found an equalizer in the 57th minute. Karim Benzema did brilliantly to get Mbappe's pass under control and expertly dinked the ball over an onrushing Yann Sommer to make it 1-1.
A little more than a minute later, France had turned the game on its head. Some astounding link-up play between Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann led to the latter dinking a cross to the far post. Sommer got his fingers on it, but the ball reached Benzema who headed into an empty net for his fourth Euro 2020 goal.
France were really flowing now and looked to have wrapped the game up when Paul Pogba scored one of the best goals at Euro 2020 in the 75th minute. The Manchester United midfielder collected a blocked shot some distance from goal before wrapping a sensational curling effort into the top right corner to make it 3-1.
While the game appeared to be over, Switzerland were not done just yet. With 10 minutes left to play, Kevin Mbabu's cross from the right once again found the head of Seferovic. The forward confidently headed home for his second goal of the game and his third at Euro 2020.
With just seconds left before full-time, the Swiss found another goal that sent their fans into a frenzy. Granit Xhaka's lovely pass picked out substitute Mario Gavranovic. The forward still had plenty to do, but coolly sat one defender down and cut the ball to his right. Gavranovic then fired home an emphatic strike that nestled into the bottom left corner.
Kingsley Coman had one last opportunity to break the tie but was unable to keep his effort down as it cannoned back off the crossbar. This was the last chance for both teams in regular time.
The two extra-time periods were largely uneventful. Pavard and Mbappe came close for France, but the score remained 3-3 and the teams headed into the first penalty shootout of Euro 2020.
The penalty shoot-out was a high quality affair throughout, with each of the first nine spot-kicks being converted. France had to score their final penalty to keep their hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2020 quarterfinals alive. But Mbappe's penalty was superbly saved by Sommer to seal a historic victory for Switzerland.
The Swiss will now look to pull off another upset in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals when they take on Spain. France, on the other hand, head back home after a disappointing end to their Euros campaign.