Xi'an, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- A year ago, Sommer saved Kylian Mbappe's penalty at the European Championships to help Switzerland eliminate world champion France in a penalty shootout to advance to the quarterfinals, and now it is set on the homepage of the Swiss Football Federation's official website. In fact, in recent years, the Swiss team has played the role of "giant killer" many times.
On 17 June 2018, Switzerland drew 1-1 with Brazil in Group E of the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Switzerland's Zuber (third from right) scored with a header in the game. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Lu Jinbo
At the upcoming World Cup in Qatar, Switzerland and their two opponents in the group stage of the World Cup four years ago, Brazil and Serbia, will continue to move forward. In addition to wanting to replicate the results of qualifying from the group four years ago, I believe that this European powerhouse is looking forward to breakthroughs and metamorphosis more than ever: after the 1954 World Cup, reaching the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in 68 years should be the direction of their efforts.
Switzerland have never been favourites, but no world-class team dares to underestimate their strength: at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Switzerland defeated Spain, the final champions, 1-0 in their first match; In the last World Cup, they drew 1:1 with Brazil in the group stage; At the 2016 European Championships, they drew in the group stage with France, the eventual runners-up of that tournament; At last year's European Championships, they knocked out world champions France... In recent years, almost every competition has been created by the Swiss team.
In the European qualifiers for the World Cup in Qatar, Switzerland was in the same group as the new European champion Italy, and just when it was certain that its way to qualification would be thorny, the team drew with the "Azzurri" in the European Qualifiers, and won one more game than Italy against the rest of the group, and finally with the advantage of points, Switzerland beat the top of the European Champions group and qualified directly.
Statistically, Switzerland scored 15 goals in the qualifying stage, conceded only two, and scored the most goals in Group C and tied for the fewest with Italy, who are known for their defense. With both offensive and defensive ability, strong backcourt players and a relatively reasonable age structure, I believe that the Swiss team will be a difficult opponent for any team.
On August 13, in the second round of the 2022-2023 English Premier League, Arsenal beat Leicester City 4-2 at home, and Xhaka (front), who plays for Arsenal, celebrates a goal in the match. Xinhua News Agency
Xhaka, who plays for Premier League "leader" Arsenal, is undoubtedly the "number one star" of the current Swiss team. Like the club's record, Xhaka's form this season can be described as a "makeover", believing that he can bring the secrets and good fortune of the club's success to the national team.
In addition to Xhaka, the state of goalkeeper Sommer will also directly affect the performance and results of the Swiss team. In a Bundesliga match in August, Sommer made 19 saves in a single game, helping Borussia Mönchengladbach draw 1-1 with Bayern Munich, setting a Bundesliga goalkeeper's single-game save record. Unlike some players who are "two faces" in club and national teams, Sommer will make his teammates feel a lot more at ease as long as he stands on the field. His ability to save penalties could also have a key impact on a team's final result in a conference game.
On September 24, in the group stage of the 2022-2023 UEFA Nations Football League A, Switzerland defeated Spain 2-1 away, and Switzerland's Shaqiri (right) shot in the match. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Marcos Sevrian)
In addition to Xhaka and Sommer, Shaqiri, nicknamed "Swiss Messi", is also a key player in the team. Although Shaqiri is currently out of Europe's top five leagues, his experience in major competitions and the speed advantage on the counter-attack have given him an important place in the squad of head coach Murat Yagin. Compared to other mid-table European teams, Switzerland are better at scoring on counter-attacks and set-pieces.
This year's World Cup Switzerland is in Group G with Brazil, Serbia and Cameroon, except for Brazil, which is one notch higher, the other three teams are close in strength, and the group competition is expected to be very fierce. In the last World Cup, Switzerland drew 1:1 with Brazil and beat Serbia 2-1. In this World Cup, in addition to playing well against Serbia, the result of facing Cameroon, the first game of the group stage, against Cameroon, the "African lion", may directly determine whether the team can "break through" from the group.
If they finish second in their group and advance to the round of 16, Switzerland could face Portugal in the quarterfinals. At that time, the team will most likely return to the true colors of the "giant killer" and engrave its own new milestone with the "Swiss Army Knife".