Switzerland and Germany drew (1-1) in Frankfurt on Sunday evening for the last group stage match. The Nati believed for a long time to seize first place in Group A, but that was without counting a German goal at the end of added time. In the other match of the evening, Hungary also waited until the last seconds of play to defeat Scotland (1-0) and take third place.
Published on: 06/23/2024 – 10:56 p.m. Modified on: 06/23/2024 – 11:13 p.m.
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It was time for the outcome of Group A of Euro 2024, Sunday June 23, and it almost had a major surprise… Switzerland, which led for almost the entire match in Frankfurt, was held in check by Germany (1-1) after added time.
The start of the meeting is underway between the Nati and the host country. The Swiss play with a fairly high block and show commitment in the duels. The Germans also struggled to get close to the opposing goal, except for a corner from Toni Kroos headed by Kai Havertz but caught without worry by Yann Sommer (3rd).
Apart from this set piece, the Mannschaft is struggling to endanger the Nati. But it is she who creates the first sensation of this match by opening the scoring with a rebound shot inspired by Robert Andrich (18th) from 25 meters. The goal was, however, ultimately canceled by the VAR due to a foul by Jamal Musiala at the start of the action.
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Switzerland remains in the match and still provides the same commitment. And it ends up paying off with his winger Dan Ndoye, who causes misery for the German defense. First served by Remo Freuler, he cuts a cross to the near post and deceives Manuel Neuer (1-0, 29th). In the process, the same Ndoye is launched in depth. After winning his duel with Antonio Rüdiger, he unleashes a dangerous cross-court shot at ground level which grazes Manuel Neuer’s left post (31st).
This sequence concretizes the good Swiss intentions seen since the start of the match. The icing on the cake: with this goal in advance, the Nati temporarily takes the lead in Group A and Germany is relegated to second place.
Füllkrug’s header after added time
Upon returning from the locker room, a reaction from Germany is expected. Florian Wirtz uses a subtle outside foot to find Jamal Musiala in depth, whose shot is repelled with both fists by Yann Sommer. The ball returns to Ilkay Gündogan, who fails to hit the target with his left foot (50th).
The Mannschaft does not intend to stop there, and in this Jamal Musiala-Robert Andrich sequence, Toni Kroos is found alone in front of the Swiss penalty area. But the German midfielder’s dry strike ends next to the opposing goal (55th). The German pressure is still strong at the hour mark, but the Nati does not give up.
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Kai Havertz’s header did not find the net either (67th). Germany created chances, but none ended up in the back of the net. The clock is ticking, and the Swiss victory is taking on more and more substance every minute. Even Joshua Kimmich, ideally served in the area by Florian Wirtz, saw his shot repelled by a Swiss foot (70th).
In the final minutes, the Mannschaft tried again and again. But neither Toni Kroos’ free kick nor Leroy Sané’s strike hit the mark (81st). The Nati, who are only suffering, believe they can knock out Germany against the flow of play. Ruben Vargas is at the conclusion of a perfectly played counter, but his goal is invalidated after an offside signal (84th) .
Then on a new counter, Granit Xhaka thinks he scores in his turn. But this time, it was Manuel Neuer who released the ball which headed towards the top corner (88th). The match seems practically over… Until this victorious header from Niclas Füllkrug (1-1, 90th + 2). Germany saves its first place in Group A down to the wire.
Hungary still in the race for qualification
In the other Group A match, Scotland lost after added time to Hungary (1-0) in Stuttgart. Kevin Csoboth scored the only goal of the match when eleven minutes of extra time had been allowed (90th + 10).
This victory allows Hungary to remain in the race for qualification in the round of 16 thanks to the ranking of the best third-placed teams. Scotland, on the contrary, finished fourth in Group A and are officially the first selection eliminated from Euro 2024.
