Xherdan Shaqiri’s brace knocks Turkey out of Euro 2020
Baku: Switzerland snatched a 3-1 victory and will have to wait if they have done enough for their progression as Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice in the last Euro 2020 Group A game late on Sunday.
Both sides needed a victory to maintain their minimum chance and ensured a lively opening period at the Baku Olympic Stadium. It took only six minutes for the opener as Haris Seferovic had enough time and space to drill Steven Zuber’s assist past Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir. Turkey responded well and earned their chances through Mert Muldur, whose shot was thwarted by a busy Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer, before Ozan Tufan missed the target from a promising position moments later.
It looked like Turkey would claw their way back into the game as Sommer was the busier goalkeeper. However, Switzerland was ice cold in front of the target and doubled their advantage as Shaqiri collected Zuber’s square pass before curling the ball into the top right corner in the 26th minute.
Switzerland should have made it three, four minutes later but for all that Shaqiri wasn’t able to beat Cakir in a one-on-one. Turkey remained dangerous and pressed but Sommer drove Senol Gunes’ men to despair before the half time. After the interval, Turkey was able to overcome Sommer as Irfan Can Kahveci unleashed a 20-metre hammer to catch the Swiss goalkeeper flat-footed in the 62nd minute.
Turkey halved the deficit, yet it was a short-lived joy as Shaqiri wrapped up his brace after striking a one-timer into the roof of the net, following Zuber’s third assist, to restore Switzerland’s two-goal lead six minutes later.
With the result, Switzerland recorded their first win in their Euro 2020 campaign and could advance from the third spot into the round of 16. Meanwhile, Turkey crashed out in the group stage with zero points from three games. “It was important to show a reaction as a unit, as a team. We knew we could create a lot of chances against this opponent,” Switzerland midfielder Shaqiri said. Italy (9 points) have been confirmed as Group A leaders followed by Wales (4 points), Switzerland (4 points) and Turkey (nil).
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