Welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the EURO 2020 Round of 16 game between France and Switzerland at the National Arena in Bucharest, Romania.
Switzerland has done it. After numerous ebb and tides, it has defeated France (5-4) on penalties to qualify to the Euro 2020 quarterfinals.
After 120 minutes of football couldn't separate the two sides, penalties were inevitable. Switzerland scoring five out five needed t save Kylian Mbappe's penalty to prevent the shootout from going to sudden death and winning the match. Yan Sommer did exactly that.
Marko Petkovic's men have dished out surely one of Switzerland's greatest performance at a major tournament. This is a huge upset and precisely what makes football such a thrilling and unpredictable game.
Switzerland will play Spain in its quarterfinal match.
Stay tuned for the match report!!
SWITZERLAND IS THROUGH TO THE QUARTERFINALS!! THE WORLD CHAMPION IS OUT!! INCREDIBLE NIGHT OF FOOTBALL!! WHAT A PERFORMANCE BY THE SWISS!!
SWITZERLAND 5-4 FRANCE: Kylian Mbappe misses!
SWITZERLAND 5-4 FRANCE: Admir Mehmedi scores!
SWITZERLAND 4-4 FRANCE: Presnel Kimpembe scores!
SWITZERLAND 4-3 FRANCE: Ruben Vargas scores!
SWITZERLAND 3-3 FRANCE: Marcus Thuram scores!
SWITZERLAND 3-2 FRANCE: Manuel Akanji scores!
SWITZERLAND 2-2 FRANCE: Olivier Giroud scores!
SWITZERLAND 2-1 FRANCE: Fabian Schar scores!
SWITZERLAND 1-1 FRANCE: Paul Pogba scores!
SWITZERLAND 1-0 FRANCE: Mario Gavranovic scores!
SWITZERLAND WILL TAKE THE FIRST KICK!!
120 MINUTES OF FOOTBALL AND NO WINNER!! ITS PENALTY SHOOTOUT TIME!!! WHAT A MATCH (FRANCE 3 SWITZERLAND 3)
120' FREEKICK- Xhaka's freekick high and wide.
119' SOMMER SAVES- Giroud gets a floating ball inside the box and leaps to meet it. He connects with the ball but Sommer gathers.
115' Five minutes left. The nervy prospect of a penalty shootout looming large.
114' FRANCE SHOT- A great ball by Pogba sends Thuram off in space. He cuts back to Giroud, who couldn't connect with the ball properly.
110' What a chance by Mbappe to shoot at goal from inside the box but his close range effort at Sommer's near-post hits the side-netting.
109' FRANCE SHOT- Coman, who has stayed on the pitch after what seemed like a hamstring pull, squared the ball to Mbappe, whose grounded shot was weak and off-target.
108' SWITZERLAND BOOKING- Akanji sees a yellow for his late challenge on Pogba.
106' Giroud and Mbappe looking to combine at the edge of Switzerland's box but the one-two doesn't come off.
Second period of extra-time underway!! Final 15 minutes before a potential penalty shootout!!
END OF THE FIRST PERIOD (FRANCE 3 SWITZERLAND 3)
One added minute at the end of the first period of extra-time!!
104' CHECK OVER!! NO PENALTY!!
103' A VAR check going on for a possible penalty to Switzerland following a corner.
101' FRANCE SHOT- Mbappe lobs a ball to Sissokko, who takes it first time with a wild volley. He wouldn't want to remember that for sure.
99' An injury concern for France as Coman is lying on the pitch. Looks like a pulled hamstring. He has left the pitch as France plays with 10-men. Marcus Thuram to replace him.
98' A great run by Mbabu he pierced through the French half from the left and drove in a low cross. His cross didn't find a white shirt.
97' SWITZERLAND CHANGE- Fabian Schar on for Haris Seferovic.
95' Great play by France- quick passing amongst each other allow the French to progress inside Switzerland's box at the end of which, Pavard takes a shot at Sommer. The Swiss pokes it above goal for a corner.
94' FRANCE SUB- Olivier Giroud on for Karim Benzema.
91' FRANCE BOOKING- Benjamin Pavard gets a yellow card.
Extra-time first period underway!! What more can this match offer??
EXTRA-TIME!!!
90+3' COMAN HITS THE BAR- This is beyond belief now. Coman inches away from giving France a lead as his shot rattles the bar.
90+3'- Just one minute remains. Switzerland has produced a brilliant comeback and will take the match to extra-time as things stand.
Four added minutes!!!
90' GOOOAAAALLLLLLLLL!!!! GAVRANOVIC HAS SCORED AN EQUALISER IN THE 90TH MINUTE!!! How much more can this match produce ladies and gentlemen?? This is football at its best. What drama.
89' FRANCE BOOKING- Second-half sub Kingsley Coman gets a yellow-card for dangerous play.
88- FRANCE SUB- Moussa Sissoko on for Antoine Griezmann.
87' SWITZERLAND SUB- Admir Mehmedi on for Ricardo Rodriguez.
84' OFFSIDE- So close to Switzerland getting its equaliser as Gavranovic poked the ball inside the net past Lloris with a tidy finish. However, the goal does not stand as Gavranovic was offside. VAR confirms the official's decision.
81' GOOAAALLLLL!!!!! SEFEROVIC SCORES ANOTHER HEADER TO SCORE SWITZERLAND'S SECOND. A great cross by Mbabu from the right, which Seferovic read brilliantly and met with a header to guide it past Lloris.
80' SWITZERLAND SUBS- Ruben Vargas and Chrsitian Fassnacht on for Breel Embolo and Steven Zuber.
75' GOOOOAAAAALLLL!!! ITS A SCREAMER BY POGBA!! FRANCE SCORES ITS THIRD!! Pogba has scored an absolute peach of a goal. He found the postage stamp as his shot from outside the box curled to the top-right corner of Sommer's goal.
73' SWITZERLAND SUBS- Mario Gavranovic for Xherdan Shaqiri and Kevin Mbabu for Silvan Widmer.
69' Risky play by Widmer as his pass back to his keeper Sommer, was misread by him. Nothing comes of it. We have already seen a bizarre own goal today in Spain's match against Croatia.
68' France has got its swagger back on. Switzerland on the backseat now as Deschamps' men are asking all the questions to Switzerland.
63' Wow what a last ten minutes. A missed penalty by Switzerland, and now just like that, France has taken the lead through Benzema's quick-fire brace. Switzerland has been the better team for a long time but this is where world class players come into play.
59' GOOOOAAAAALLLL!!!! BENZEMA HAS SCORED AGAIN!!! JUST LIKE THAT ITS ADVANTAGE FRANCE!! HEARTBREAK FOR THE SWISS!! A lovely lob from Griezmann gave Benzema an open header on the far post. Great passage of play by the French.
57' GOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!! BENZEMA HAS EQUALISED FOR FRANCE!! A measured pass by Mbappe, which Benzema controlled and lifted it over a diving Sommer.
54' LLORIS SAVED RODRIGUEZ'S PENALTY!! France still in the match!! Scores remain 1-0 in Switzerland's favour.
53' PENALTY!! ITS A PENALTY TO SWITZERLAND!! VAR SAID PAVARD'S CHALLENGE ON ZUBER WAS INSIDE THE BOX!! A MONUMENTAL MOMENT FOR THE SWISS!!
52' There is a potential penalty check. Pavard with some risky play as he takes down Zuber at the edge of the penalty box.
50' CLOSE- France so close to conceding a second goal as Embolo squared the ball from the right across Lloris. Fortunately, it didn't reach Seferovic, who was waiting for a tap-in.
48' Nice run by Pogba as he went past a couple of Swiss players but followed that up with a disappointing pass.
45' FRANCE SUB- Kingsley Coman on for Clement Lenglet. A change in formation as France reverts back to its original formation.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY!!
Who would have predicted this? The world champion trails 1-0 at halftime courtesy Seferovic's 15th minute header, assisted by Zuber.
Its going to be an important halftime talks from both managers for different reasons.
Stay tuned for live updates in the second half.
HALFTIME (France 0 Switzerland 1)
45+2' Embolo is okay. He comes back on the pitch.
45+2' THAT LOOKED PAINFUL- Embolo is currently down after a clash of heads with Rabiot.
45+1' With half time a minute away, Switzerland can be pleased with their performance in the first half.
Two added minutes!!
43' FRANCE SHOT- A snappy phase of play by France ends with Mbappe taking a shot at Sommer but its high again. The Les Blues wait for their first shot on target.
41' Switzerland's approach play in and around France's penalty-area has been top-notch. Only time will tell whether it can keep it up but it is doing nothing wrong for now.
39' Compared to the talent France boasts of, on the pitch right now, its attacking threat has been meagre. The team looks uninspired. Something needs to change for the French if they want to get back into the match.
37' Players get a cooling break. Play paused momentarily.
35' France currently pegged back into its own half. But, that also poses the threat of a fatal counter-attack for Switzerland. Petkovic's men have to be wary.
33' SWITZERLAND BOOKING- Nico Elvedi gets a yellow for his late challenge on Griezmann.
31' FRANCE BOOKING- Varane gets a yellow-card for body checking Zuber, who was surging down the left flank. He has been quite menacing for the visiting team.
29' FRANCE SHOT- An audacious long-distance effort from Rabiot, which had plenty of power but not the accuracy as it whistled past a diving Sommer. Why wasn't he closed down there?
25' FRANCE FREE KICK- The ball strikes Freuler's arm and France gets a free-kick. Quite a possible range to score from as Griezmann and Mbappe line up to take it. Mbappe's first effort hits the wall. His shot on the rebound is miles wide of Switzerland's goal.
23' SAVE- Sommer was successful at getting his fingertips to Rabiot's cross from the left, which guided it away from the centrally-located Benzema. Solid keeping there.
18' Its very important that Switzerland contains the world champion for the next 15 minutes or so. It can be sure that Deschamps' men will come at full-throttle.
15' GOOOOAAAALLL!!!! SWITZERLAND HAS TAKEN THE LEAD!! ITS A SEFEROVIC HEADER!! WOW!! Zuber floats in a beautiful ball from the left flank and Severovic rose the highest to meet it and guide the ball past a diving Lloris.
13' France's most common route of threat has been through the left flank where Kylian Mbappe is operating but Elvedi has contained him well up to this point.
10' Switzerland aren't sitting back by any means. In fact, France looks moderately shaky in defence when Switzerland breaks. Something to do with the change in shape maybe?
8' Great run by Embolo- it isn't easy brushing off a defender like Varane but Embolo did it quite well as he protected the ball on its course of going out for a Swiss corner. The corner was harmless as France dealt with it easily.
6' Nice defending there by the Swiss as they did not allow Benzema to take a shot after he took down Griezmann's cross from the left flank in prime fashion. The subsequent loose ball found Pogba, who attempted a shot at Sommer, but Switzerland blocked his shot too.
4' One corner each, at both ends within the first four minutes. Nice open start to the game.
2' Early attacking surge by France as Varane had a chance to get an early goal for his team from a corner. His header, however, was high.
1' KICK-OFF'
12:30 a.m- AND WE ARE UNDERWAY!!
12:25 a.m- National anthems being sung!!
12:00 a.m- What do you think?
11:45 p.m- What has the two camps said ahead of the match?
11:21 p.m- LINEUPS ANNOUNCED!!
France (3-4-1-2)
Hugo Lloris (capt); Raphael Varane, Clement Lenglet, Presnel Kimpembe; Benjamin Pavard, N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot; Antoine Griezmann; Kylian Mbappe, Karim Benzema
Coach: Didier Deschamps (FRA)
Switzerland (3-4-1-2)
Yann Sommer; Nico Elvedi, Manuel Akanji, Silvan Widmer; Steven Zuber, Remo Freuler, Granit Xhaka (capt), Ricardo Rodriguez; Xherdan Shaqiri; Breel Embolo, Haris Seferovic
Coach: Vladimir Petkovic (SUI)
Referee : Fernando Andres Rapallini (ARG)
11: 10 p.m- Form Guide
France- D-D-W-W-W
Switzerland- W-L-D-W-W
11:00 p.m- France and Switzerland Predicted XI; injury and suspension news
France XI : Lloris; Varane, Lenglet, Kimpembe; Pavard, Pogba, Kanté, Hernández; Griezmann; Mbappé, Benzema
Out : Digne (hamstring), Dembélé (knee)
Doubtful : Hernández (knee), Thuram (groin)
Misses next match if booked : Griezmann, Hernández, Kimpembe, Lloris, Pavard
Switzerland XI : Sommer; Elvedi, Akanji, Rodríguez; Widmer, Freuler, Xhaka, Zuber; Shaqiri; Embolo, Seferović
Misses next match if booked : Embolo, Gavranović, Mbabu, Schär, Xhaka
Match Preview
World champion France is facing mounting injuries ahead of its Euro 2020 round-of-16 match against Switzerland on Monday, with coach Didier Deschamps struggling for options.
The French qualified less convincingly than initially expected after drawing 2-2 against Portugal in their final group game, having won one of three Group F games.
France left-back Lucas Hernandez had to be taken off with a knee injury after the first half and remains doubtful against Switzerland. His replacement Lucas Digne is also nursing a hamstring injury and looks unlikely to be fit for Monday, forcing potential changes to Deschamps' defensive plans.
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Digne's replacement in the game against Portugal, midfielder Adrien Rabiot, has himself been dealing with a nagging ankle injury since the end of the season and is not yet at 100 per cent fit. To make matters worse, Thomas Lemar suffered a leg injury and Marcus Thuram hurt his right thigh in training on Thursday, hobbling off the pitch with the support of medical staff.
France is already without Ousmane Dembele after the forward had to be taken off injured in its second group game against Hungary. Dembele has been ruled out for the rest of the tournament and will require knee surgery.
But despite the injuries France remains the clear favourite for the game against the Swiss.
Deschamps, attempting to become the first man to win World Cups and Euros both as player and coach, may be struggling with fit defenders but he has won back a striker.
Karim Benzema, who was recalled to the national team for the tournament after a nearly six-year absence, scored twice against Portugal.
The French have also never lost to the Swiss in a competitive game. While they are very familiar with the latter stages of a tournament, their opponent has not reached a quarterfinal of a major tournament in 67 years, ever since the 1954 World Cup which it hosted.
Switzerland qualified as one of the best third-placed teams.
"Anything can happen in a tournament," said Switzerland defender Ricardo Rodriguez. "We are fit and ready. We have to be compact in defence and use our few chances. We know the French have a fantastic bench as well."
"We will give it all we have. We have already trained penalties and almost everyone scored," he smiled.
The winner of the game will play the winner of the round-of-16 tie between Spain and Croatia.
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