Swiss Euro football dream ends with heartbreak against Spain
Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer turned in a fine display but could not stop Spain from winning the quarterfinal on penalties.
Keystone / Anton Vaganov
Switzerland crashed out of the European football championship by losing their quarterfinal match against Spain on penalties on Friday.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch/mga
The match ended 1-1 after extra-time but Spain scored three penalties to Switzerland’s one in the Euro 2020 knock-out tie in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Spain took an early lead via an own goal by Denis Zakaria but talismanic Swiss striker Xherdan Shaqiri equalized in the 68th minute.
Nine minutes later, Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler was sent off for a foul, but Switzerland held on to force the game into extra-time.
Spain dominated the final 30 minutes of play, raining shots in on the Swiss goal but a string of fine saves by goalkeeper Yann Sommer kept his side in the game.
For the second game in a row Switzerland were involved in a penalty shoot-out to determine the final result. On this occasion, their opponents, Spain, held their nerve better to convert three penalties to a solitary Swiss effort.
Switzerland had reached the quarterfinals of a major tournament for the first time since 1954 with a dramatic victory against France earlier in the week.
How is your country dealing with the return of stolen artifacts?
Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
What do you think Switzerland’s Alain Berset can bring to the Council of Europe?
The former interior minister is to become the first Swiss Secretary General of the Council of Europe – which issues should his five-year term focus on?
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
This content was published on
The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
Swiss giant Roche given green light for lung cancer drug in Canada
This content was published on
According to a recent study, Roche’s Alecensaro reduced the risk of recurrence or death by 76% compared to chemotherapy alone.
Swiss luxury watch market hit hard by China-led slump
This content was published on
Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
Swiss foreign minister briefs Russian counterpart on Ukraine peace summit
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in New York, during Russia's presidency of the UN Security Council.
Criminal proceedings filed over Swiss components in Russian weapons
This content was published on
The Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs has opened more than 50 administrative criminal proceedings for violations of sanctions against Russia.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.