Switzerland vs Germany 1-1: Fullkrug Late Goal Saves Tournament Hosts

A 92-minute goal from super sub Niklas Fullkrug saved tournament hosts Germany and enabled them to preserve their first place in Euro 2024 Group A. Switzerland took the lead in the first half as Bologna’s Dan Ndoye scored his first international goal and long dreamed of topping the group. 

Fullkrug’s late strike put things back in order for Germany, who however evidenced some clear difficulties at the back. After two easy wins with Scotland and Hungary, Die Mannschaft staggered when facing their first real Euro test. Or perhaps credit should just be given to Switzerland, who have become an incredibly insidious team to face in the past few years. 

Switzerland’s second place means that they may very well be the Azzurri‘s next opponents in the Round of 16, provided that Luciano Spalletti and his boys manage to defend their second position in Group B from Croatia’s assaults tomorrow night. 

Featuring three Bologna players (Ndoye, Michel Aebischer, and Remo Freuler) as well as Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer and Torino defender Ricardo Rodriguez, Murat Yakin’s men appeared organized and well disposed on the pitch. Despite having already secured qualification, Germany’s gaffer Julian Nagelsmann did not give any rest to his starters as he deployed the exact same lineup for the third time in a row. 

And still, it looked like just another day in the office for Germany as midfielder Robert Andrich caught Sommer by surprise at the near post on 17 minutes with a clinical shot from outside box. However, the Nerazzurri goalkeeper was saved by a VAR review, which caught Jamial Musiala’s foul on Aebischer in the build-up.

On 28 minutes, Switzerland shocked the Frankfurt Waldstadion with a well crafted offensive initiative. From the left, Freuler served his Serie A club teammate Ndoye, who stretched his leg just enough to deflect the ball past Manuel Neuer, anticipating defender Jonathan Tah in the process.  

The Swiss opener stunned the German who risked conceding again just one minute later. This time, Ndoye’s sharp shot ended just inches wide of the right post.  

The first half ended with Yakin’s side ahead, and Switzerland wisely focused on defending their lead after the restart. German’s assault appeared chaotic and disorganized, and only resulted in a Musiala shot that was parried back by Sommer. On the other hand, Die Mannschaft risked a lot when Switzerland tried to catch them by surprise on the counter.   

Indeed, the Swiss should have had their second on 83 minutes as substitute Ruben Vargas sneaked past the defensive line to catch a long range pass and beat Neuer again, but the VAR disallowed his winning effort on grounds of offside. 

It looked like a doomed game for Germany, but Nagelsmann’s boys managed to steer themselves back on track  on the last lap. Fullkrug, who had replaced Musiala a few minutes earlier, headed the ball into the top left corner of the net from a David Raum cross. It was the second Euro goal for the 31-year-old Borussia Dortmund forward, and he once again made it to the scoresheet coming in as a substitute. 

Nagelsmann may want to think twice before benching him again as he wait to know Germany’s opponent in the Round of 16, which they will face next Saturday at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund – coincidentally, Fullkrug’s home stadium… 

 

MATCH SCORECARD

June 23, 2024 – Euro 2024 Group A
SWITZERLAND – GERMANY 1-1

SCORERS: 28′ Ndoye (S), 92′ Fullkrug (G)