Wales 1-1 Switzerland: 5 talking points as VAR denies Switzerland | EURO 2020
Wales held Switzerland to a 1-1 draw in their EURO 2020 Group A opener at the Baku Olympic Stadium as Kieffer Moore's header ensured a point for Ryan Giggs' men.
Breel Embolo broke the deadlock for Switzerland with a fine header from Xherdan Shaqiri's cross in the 48th minute after the Swiss had enjoyed a good spell right before the break.
In the first half, Switzerland dominated proceedings and pushed Wales on the back foot. Moore displayed his aerial prowess for Wales and connected well with an incoming cross, but Yann Sommer produced one of the saves of the game to keep his team's citadel intact.
Switzerland could've gone ahead right before the break. But Haris Seferovic could not control his shot in front of goal after Embolo had done well under pressure to pass the ball to him.
This stalemate leaves Italy two points clear at the top of Group A standings. Switzerland would rue not making the most of their chances, as they were arguably the better team on the night.
On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#1 Switzerland dominate from the start, including a superb first half
Switzerland headed into their EURO 2020 opener on a six-game winning streak. After a slow start, they got into their groove.
They dominated proceedings, and their attacking play in the final third pushed Wales on the back foot, forcing them to only sit back and defend. The Swiss dominated possession, having 73% of the ball in the first half.
They recorded as many as 11 shots on target before the break, though only one was on target. Wales, in comparison, could only fire two. Breel Embolo caused all sorts of problems with his pace and strength in the Welsh box.
#2 Both Wales and Switzerland score from set-pieces
It is rare to see both teams scoring from set-piece situations in a game. But that's what happened on the pitch, as both Wales and Switzerland found the back of the net with headed goals.
Embolo's header from a Xherdan Shaqiri corner broke the deadlock for Switzerland early in the 48th minute. The Swiss continued to threaten the Wales goal but just could not find a way past Danny Ward from open play.
Wales equalised in the 74th minute via a headed goal from striker Kieffer Moore, who was denied by a brilliant Yann Sommer save in the 15th minute. Later, Wales took a short corner, and Moore made a brilliant run to get away from his marker to head home Joe Morrell's cross.
Also Read: The 10 highest-paid goalkeepers in the world.