QUICK FACTS – (Group stage – Group A)
- Substitute Breel Embolo clinched the three points in stoppage time
- The Swiss face Scotland next in Cologne on Wednesday while Hungary take on Germany earlier in the day
Match Review: Hungary 1-3 Switzerland – ‘Swiss make easy work of Hungary’
Switzerland secured a hard-fought victory over Hungary, starting their Euro 2024 campaign with a win at Cologne Stadium.
Kwadwo Duah, a surprise inclusion by coach Murat Yakin, justified his selection by slotting home his first international goal. Michel Aebischer doubled Switzerland’s lead right before halftime.
Barnabas Varga rekindled Hungary’s hopes with 30 minutes remaining, guiding a brilliantly weighted cross from Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai past Yann Sommer.
Substitute Breel Embolo sealed the win in stoppage time with a skilful lob over Peter Gulacsi.
With this win, Switzerland sits second in Group A, trailing only the hosts, Germany, while Scotland remains at the bottom after a 5-1 defeat to Germany.
Yakin’s team took control from the start, dominating possession while Hungary struggled to create any meaningful chances in the first half.
London-born Duah, who had only 45 minutes of international play before this match, was brilliantly set up by Aebischer, finishing past Gulacsi in the 12th minute.
Just before halftime, Aebischer cut in from the left and expertly placed a 20-yard strike beyond the diving Gulacsi, making it 2-0.
In the 63rd minute, Varga missed a clear chance to reduce the deficit, steering his header wide. However, he made amends three minutes later by deftly heading in Szoboszlai’s curling cross.
Despite the support from their fans, Hungary couldn’t find an equalizer. Monaco striker Embolo, recently back from a cruciate ligament injury, came off the bench in the 74th minute and capitalized on a defensive error to score in the third minute of added time, securing the victory.
Switzerland will face Scotland next in Cologne on Wednesday, live on BBC One, while Hungary will take on Germany earlier the same day.
What the managers said:
Hungary boss Marco Rossi was unimpressed by his side.
“We play Germany in four days. I dare anybody to bet one Hungarian forint on us. As of today that looks impossible,” the Italian said.
Rossi added: “We had a tactical misunderstanding. We didn’t cope and have time to press them. The first half was very bad. We were too passive.
“I’m not looking for guilty people. I’m the coach and need to take my responsibility.
“We had some shortcomings in individual performances. There aren’t many strategies to stop individual mistakes.”
A happier Switzerland boss Murat Yakin said: “I liken football to chess, and today we got our tactics right. We used this formation for a particular reason.
“We focused on making the most of our strengths and we made our opponents’ lives very hard in the first half.”