Euro 2020: Switzerland vs. Turkey Match Recap
Switzerland beat Turkey 3-1 in an entertaining UEFA Euro 2020 encounter. The victory meant the Swiss still have a chance of progressing to the knockouts from Group A.
After a bright start to the match, it was Turkey who saw the first sight of goal inside 5 minutes. Burak Yilmaz chested the ball down to Irfan Kahveci, whose powerful shot from distance was well saved by Yann Sommer.
Minutes later, Switzerland took the lead after an inch-perfect finish from Haris Seferovic. The Benfica striker received the ball from Steven Zuber on the edge of the box and unleashed a cracking left-footed shot that found the bottom right corner.
The Swiss doubled their advantage in the 26th minute with another stunning strike. Zuber picked up another assist when his lay-off found Xherdan Shaqiri. The Liverpool man expertly curled a right-foot effort into the top right corner from outside the box. Minutes later, Shaqiri nearly added another after a swift Swiss counter-attack. This time, however, Turkey keeper Ugurcan Cakir denied him with his right foot.
The Turks continued to fight their way back into the game. A blistering shot from distance by Mert Muldur forced Sommer into another great save, diving low to his right. He came close again when he raced down the left wing and let another shot fly, but was repelled once again by the Swiss keeper. The teams went into half-time with the Swiss leading 2-0 in this crucial Euro 2020 clash.
Euro 2020: Turkey fight back in the second half
Though Switzerland looked largely comfortable, it was Turkey who scored first in the second half to open the game up. Another great strike from distance, this time from Irfan Kahveci, beat Sommer on its way to the top left corner. The goal was Turkey's first at Euro 2020.
With the game evenly poised, the Swiss began piling on the pressure again. Turkey eventually wilted as Shaqiri scored his second of the night to make it 3-1. After another incisive counter-attack, the 29-year-old blasted the ball home with his left foot to put the game to bed.
The result saw Switzerland finish third in Group A of Euro 2020 with four points. Second-placed Wales also collected four points, but a better goal difference saw them seal direct qualification to the knockouts. The Swiss will have to wait and see if they qualify from the Euro 2020 group stages as one of the four best 3rd place sides.
Turkey, on the other hand, will head home after a dismal Euro 2020 that saw them lose 3-0 to Italy, 2-0 to Wales and 3-1 to the Swiss.