With four points after two games, the Swiss are now in second place in the group behind hosts Germany, who were the first team to advance to the knockout round after a 2-0 win against Hungary. On Sunday (9 p.m.) there will be a top duel for the group victory.
The Scots can also count on a small chance of promotion. The prerequisite for this would be a win in the parallel match (9 p.m., live on ORF1) against Hungary. After the 1:5 defeat against Germany, the Scots are now at least fighting for a place among the best third-placed teams in the group.
Scots oppose
So Scotland is back in the race – anyone who expected a response to the opening debacle had reason to hope: against Switzerland, the first corner of the tournament was awarded after three minutes. Although it didn’t produce anything, and neither did the second one, the offensive efforts of Steve Clarke’s team were evident. This time, they were not going to give up without a fight.
With the Scots having only won once in ten matches (2-0 against Gibraltar) before the match, the Swiss were clearly the favourites, who quickly took control and occasionally advanced into the penalty area. Fans of both teams had to wait a few minutes in the sold-out Cologne stadium for any real chances to score.
First chance, first goal
The first hit home: After an offensive move by the Swiss and a counterattack by the Scots, Callum McGregor passed sharply from the left into the penalty area to Scott McTominay, who shot. His shot was unfortunately deflected into his own net by Fabian Schär. Star goalkeeper Yann Sommer had to watch helplessly. Initially counted as an own goal, the goal was attributed to McTominay. It would have been the fifth own goal of this European Championship after Antonio Rüdiger (GER), Maximilian Wöber (AUT), Robin Hranac (CZE) and Klaus Gjasula (ALB).
The goal for 1-0
Fabian Schär headed the ball into his own goal in the 13th minute to give the Scots the lead; Scott McTominay is the official goalscorer.
This was not what Switzerland had imagined. Under pressure, they initially had no recipe or even an idea for a goal. The Scottish defence was also on the ball – until the 26th minute, when a bad pass from Anthony Ralston in their own half ruined their previous work. Xherdan Shaqiri accepted the gift and shot with his left foot, which was unstoppable for Scottish goalkeeper Angus Gunn.
Shaqiri equalizes
Xherdan Shaqiri lets the Swiss celebrate with the equalizer.
Offside goal by Ndoye
Gunn distinguished himself in another top move by the Swiss, defusing a shot from close range by Dan Ndoye (assist Ruben Vargas) with a brilliant save (32′). A minute later, the ball ended up in the Scots’ net after another attempt by Ndoye, but the 23-year-old Bologna teammate of ÖFB team player Stefan Posch was offside, as referee Ivan Kruzliak (SVK) correctly decided according to TV images.
The game remained open. Both the Scots and the Swiss continued to fight. After a corner from the Scots, Sommer was able to distinguish himself with a shot from minimal distance by Che Adams (40th minute), and in the counterattack Gunn proved to be an acrobat in the Scots goal with a shot from Granit Xhaka from the edge of the penalty area. The breather ordered by Kruzliak was welcome to most people.
Adams narrowly fails
The Swiss goalie was able to make a great save on a shot by Che Adams.
Tension after the break
Both teams gave each other nothing after the break, with the formations unchanged, except for passing errors. It was initially a game of chess, but: The first chance went to the Swiss when Ruben Vargas shot into the hands of Gunn (56th minute). A little later, Ndoye pushed the ball past the left corner of the Scottish goal after a strong individual effort. In the 64th minute, Vargas slammed the ball over the bar from a good position.
Switzerland were lucky three minutes later: after a free kick from the right edge of the penalty area, Grant Hanley’s header hit the left post. A murmur went through the ranks of the fans. A header from Scott McKenna then sailed over the crossbar (74th minute). The lead was within reach, the mood of the Scottish fans was at its peak.
Hanley heads the ball into the post
Hanley almost headed the Scots to victory, but the post got in the way.
Both coaches, Clarke and Murat Yakin, directed their players wildly on the sidelines. Neither team could afford to lose – Switzerland would definitely advance with a win, and the Scots would be back in the race for a place in the round of 16 with at least one point.
The Swiss team’s supposed winning goal by Breel Embolo (83′) was disallowed for offside, as was Ndoye’s goal before it. Embolo was furious. This did not change the score – not least because Zeki Amdouni missed the match ball with a header from close range in the final minute.
Voices about the game
Murat Sure (Switzerland coach): “Xherdan Shaqiri helped the team enormously. He was eager to play, you could tell that in training. A brilliant footballer. After the 0-1, a burst of energy was needed. Compliments to the players. They reacted well. The 1-1 came at the right time. The goal is to get through the group stage. Things are looking good.”
Steve Clarke (Scotland coach): “It was a good reaction to the disappointing performance (against Germany, ed.). We are still alive. It was a good game between two teams on equal terms. We definitely need a win now. I am sure that if we get three points, we will be promoted.”
UEFA EURO 2024, Group A, second matchday
Wednesday:
Scotland – Switzerland 1:1 (1:1)
Köln, SR Kruzliak (SVK)
Torfolge:
1:0 McTominay (13.)
1:1 Shaqiri (26.)
Switzerland: Sommer – Schär, Akanji, Rodriguez – Widmer (86./Stergiou), Freuler (75./Sierro), Xhaka, Aebischer – Shaqiri (60./Embolo), Vargas (75./Rieder) – Ndoye (86./Amdouni) )
Scotland: Gunn – Hanley, Hendry, Tierney (61./McKenna) – Ralston, McTominay, Gilmour (79./McLean), Robertson – McGinn (90./Christie), McGregor – Adams (90./Shankland)
Yellow cards: Rodriguez, Sierro and McTominay, McGinn, McKenna
