The Swiss are not yet guaranteed a place in the round of 16 as they sit third in the group with four points.
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Switzerland recorded a comfortable 3-1 victory over Turkey in the final matchday of Group A to keep themselves in contention for a place in the round of 16. Two first-half goals from Haris Seferovic and Xherdan Shaqiri saw the Swiss with a comfortable advantage at the break. Turkey did get one back in the second half through Irfan Kahveci but Shaqiri found the back of the net shortly after to ensure the Turks’ elimination from Euro 2020. The Swiss are not yet guaranteed a place in the round of 16 as they sit third in the group with 4 points. They are behind Wales only on goal difference.
Despite the one-sided scoreline, the match was anything but. The possession stats were pretty even with the Swiss seeing 51% of the ball and the Turks seeing 49%. There was a flurry of shots on both goals throughout the match. Both sides seemed quite intent on attacking. Switzerland managed to record 22 shots with 10 on target. Turkey was not far behind as they recorded 19 shots with six on target. Both teams ended with the same number of corners as well with eight apiece.
Switzerland took the lead as early as the sixth minute through Seferovic. The goal game from the very first Swiss attack of the game. It was a good attacking move up the pitch, with Steven Zuber receiving the ball at the edge of the box. He then laid it off for Seferovic who had far too much time on the ball. The striker turned, picked his spot, and struck it sweetly past the Turkish keeper. The ball flew into the bottom right corner of the goal. Questions will be asked of the Turkish defence as there was little urgency to close Seferovic down.
Liverpool player Shaqiri scored the second goal in the 26th minute with a peach of a finish. It was a classic Shaqiri goal in a lot of ways. Once again, it is Zuber who was involved in the creation of the chance. The 29-year-old received the ball at the edge of the Turkey penalty box yet again and laid it off for Shaqiri. The Liverpool man struck a sweet curler which saw the ball fly into the top right corner, leaving the keeper with no chance.
A moment of brilliance from Turkey’s Kahveci saw them cut the deficit in half in the second half. It was a well-worked goal that involved Hakan Calhanoglu. The midfielder found himself with the ball at the edge of the Swiss penalty box but was unable to find the space to get a shot away. Instead, he laid it off for Kahveci who flicked the ball inside and curled it into the top left corner to make it 2-1.
Turkey’s joy lasted for only six minutes as Shaqiri scored his second goal of the match to restore the two-goal advantage for the Swiss. The Turks were caught on the counter, and it was Zuber again with his third assist of the match. He laid the ball to the Liverpool man on his right who smashed the ball past the Turkish keeper. There was no chance of that effort being saved.
It was quite a disappointing tournament for Turkey as many people saw them as dark horses, especially with the likes of Yilmaz and Calhanoglu. Many thought that they could knock Wales or Switzerland in the group, but the Turks end their tournament with three defeats in three games.
