World champions France have been dramatically eliminated from Euro 2020 on penalties after Switzerland recovered from 3-1 down to equalise in added time and then triumph in a shoot-out.
Kylian Mbappe missed the decisive 10th penalty, with Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer diving to his right and denying the Paris St Germain striker. All nine players from either side had earlier scored from the penalty spot.
It is the first time that Switzerland have reached the quarter finals of a major competition since 1954 and, with France having been favourites to triumph at Wembley on July 11, the result throws the tournament wide open.
It was also the first penalty shoot-out that Switzerland have ever won.
Mario Gavranovic had earlier scored in the 92nd minute to follow two headed goals from Haris Seferovic, the second in the 81st minute, after France had briefly appeared to be cantering towards a last 16 tie against Spain.
France had scored three goals in a brilliant 18 minute second-half spell but, having begun poorly and fallen behind during a dreadful first-half, their attacking flair was ultimately undone by defensive frailties.
With Lucas Hernandez and Lucas Digne both going off injured in France’s final group game against Portugal, Deschamps was left without a natural left-back.
The solution was drastic. Rather than ask one of his squad to play out of position, he overhauled France’s entire system, switching to three at the back and bringing in Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet alongside Raphael Varane and Presnel Kimpembe.
It meant Benjamin Pavard and midfielder Adrien Rabiot operating as wing-backs and, for the opening five minutes at least, France did pose the expected threat.
Kylian Mbappe, who had gone through the entire group phase without scoring, immediately surged at Nico Elvedi to the right of Switzerland’s three-man defence.
A corner was quickly forced, with Varane then evading the entire Swiss defence to rise in space for what was a free header from just outside the six-yard box. The Madrid defender’s execution, however, went horribly wrong and he skewed his effort well over.
The early chances seemed to give France a false sense of superiority and, with their players clearly struggling badly to adjust to their new system, Switzerland took control of the game.
Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka was excellent in his anchoring midfield role, while Stephen Zuber was constantly drifting skillfully into pockets of space.
France’s central duo of Paul Pogba and N’golo Kante, by contrast, looked lost without an additional midfield body alongside them and the entire team were displaying an alarming lack of energy and intensity. With Zuber proving especially adept at exploiting the spaces behind Pavard in the world champion’s unfamiliar formation, Switzerland took a deserved lead.
Zuber had surged to the byline down France’s right and, having effortlessly cut back inside Pavard, floated a pinpoint cross for Haris Seferovic. The Benfica striker duly shook off Lenglet with embarrassing ease and rose to head powerfully past Hugo Lloris into the bottom corner.
France were now a team transformed and, having carved out a further flurry of chances, Pogba delivered the finish of the night and arguably even the tournament. Benzema’s shot had first been blocked but fell to Pogba in space 30 yards from goal and, having started his shot just outside Yann Sommer’s left-hand post, the ball curled spectacularly back into the top corner.
Switzerland, though, were still not done and France’s glaring defensive weaknesses remained. First Kevin Mbabu crossed for Seferovic to again head past Lloris and then, in the second minute of added time, Xhaka teed up Gavranovic for his equaliser. And then came extra time and the shootout. (The Telegraph)