It’s likely that England’s chances of putting up a strong team display in Euro 2024 are running low.
Harry Kane scored a crucial goal early in the extra session, but Jude Bellingham’s last-second overhead kick was necessary for the Three Lions to force extra time in their Round of 16 match against Slovakia last weekend.
Gareth Southgate’s team battled for rhythm and put on a listless display, just as in their 1-0 victory against Serbia in the opening game and the back-to-back Group C draws with Denmark and Slovenia.
A match against Switzerland may be the last thing they need in light of this, even though they ended up in the supposedly “easier” part of the draw.
At the European Championship, Murat Yakin’s team has played confidently and with balance, resembling a club team more than any other.
Switzerland was within a stoppage-time equaliser by Niclas Fullkrug of defeating the hosts, Germany, after defeating Hungary and drawing with Scotland. They defeated Italy 2-0 in the Round of 16 with their most dominant performance to date, dominating the defending champions for the whole ninety minutes in Berlin.
Though the history of this match gives them hope, England will undoubtedly not get away with another poor performance in this company.
Switzerland vs. England head-to-head record, history, and outcomes
England wins Draws Switzerland wins
18 6 3
The rivalry between the two countries has become even more lopsided in recent decades, with the Three Lions dominating the historic head-to-head matchup.
Although Southgate’s squad won 6-5 on penalties following a goalless draw in the third-place match of the first-ever UEFA National League Finals in 2019, England had won nine of their last 13 meetings against Switzerland and drawn four.
After winning international friendlies before the Nations League match, this will be England’s fourth meeting with Switzerland under Southgate.
Yakin and Southgate have only faced off against one other once, at Wembley in March 2022. Luke Shaw, who is fighting to be in contention this weekend, levelled after Breel Embolo gave the Swiss the lead in the first half, but Harry Kane put a stop to it.
The last time Switzerland defeated England, 2-1, in a 1982 World Cup qualifying match, was in May 1981.
Switzerland vs England previous major event matches
This will be the first match in the knockout stages and the third meeting between England and Switzerland at the European Championship finals.
In their opening match at Wembley, Alan Shearer gave the Euro 96 hosts the lead, but in a pattern that has been seen throughout the tournament, England waned and played thoughtfully. Eight minutes from the end, Switzerland drew 1-1 thanks to a penalty kick by Kubilay Turkyilmaz.
Teenage phenom Wayne Rooney made an impression at Euro 2024, scoring his first goals at a major international event with a brace in a 3-0 victory over Switzerland at the Estadio Cidade de Coimbra. Yakin spent ninety minutes of the Swiss attack without producing any results.
We had to go back to the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland for the nations’ first meeting at a major event, where England defeated their hosts 2-0 behind goals from Jimmy Mullen and Dennis Wilshaw.
Despite making it beyond the group round, both teams lost in the quarterfinals. Switzerland lost a wild match 7-5 against Austria, while Uruguay, the defending champs, defeated England 4-2. Seventy years later, at Euro 2024, a possible semifinal rematch would most likely not be as free-scoring.
