Key events
Full time: Switzerland 2-0 Italy
Full time: Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas got the goals as Switzerland advanced to the quarter-finals in the face of shockingly feeble Italian opposition. Their players are now celebrating with abandon in front of their fans and can now look forward to a match against England or Slovakia.
Switzerland have won!
The final whistle is blown. Switzerland march into the quarter-finals on the back of an impressive win over Italy. It was easy for them in the end but they could only beat what was in front of them and did so with fairly ruthless efficiency. It was a dismal effort from Italy, who were surprisingly feeble. They can expect a warm reception on their return to whatever Italy airport they’re flying back to … and not in a good way.
90+1 min: Italy advance upfield with Chiesa on the ball. I would say he is the only outfield player among them who hasn’t been hugely disappointing tonight. And now he loses the ball!
89 min: Yann Sommer, who I reckon hasn’t had to make a save in this match, gets the ball launched. It sails straight through to his opposite number.
88 min: Italy appeal for a penalty on the back of a perceived handball by Fabian Schär. It’s desperate stuff on their part and the VAR curtain-twitchers don’t get involved.
86 min: Italy substitution: Davide Frattesi on for Nicolo Fagioli, whose mistake led to Switzerland’s second goal.
83 min: It’s the Swiss who go close, with Zuber rolling the ball wide of the far post from a very tight angle at the end of another counter-attack.
82 min: An Italy goal in the next couple of minutes would really put the cat among the pigeons but the players in blue look to have given up the ghost. Alessandro Bastoni tries to drive them forward but the Swiss are defending in numbers.
80 min: Austria have also made more changes. Vincent Sierro and Kwadwo Duah are on for Ndoye and Embolo.
78 min: It looks like Italy are going out with the proverbial whimper. They’ve brought on Andre Cambiasso and Lorenzo Pellegrini for Darmian and Cristante but are still plodding along at the same sedate pace.
74 min: Italy create a chance. Or do they? Scamacca nudges the ball against the post with the outside of his right boot after pouncing on a Fagioli ball in behind. I think he was offside but it doesn’t matter either way.
72 min: Swiss double-substitution: Leonidis Stergiou and Steven Zuber on for Rider and Vargas, who have both played very well and can be proud of their evening’s work.
69 min: Italy swing a cross from the right into the Swiss penalty area. Yann Sommer comes off his line to collect it with no opposition players within 10 yards of him. Sommer is probably the one player on the pitch who has done less than Scamacca, because Italy haven’t mustered a shot on target yet.
69 min: Cristante tries to play the ball over the top with a little chip in the direction of Scamacca, who might as well not be on the pitch. It’s headed clear. I suspect Signore Scamacca may not be on the pitch for much longer, literally or figuratively.
66 min: Freuler wastes a Swiss free-kick, overhitting the ball and then admonishing himself.
65 min: Xhaka has a shot from outside the area blocked but Italy are unable to clear their lines properly. Dan Ndoye tries to score with an acrobatic bicycle kick but fails to make contact with the ball.
64 min: Italy substitution: Mateo Retegui on for Nicolo Barrella.
61 min: This is so easy for Switzerland. Chiesa scurries down the right touchline and runs into traffic. With zero options open to him, one of very few Italian players to try to create something has to settle for clanking the ball out of play off a defenders shin so he can win a throw-in.
59 min: Italy are two goals down but you wouldn’t know it to watch this game. They’re offering little in attack and showing nothing in the way of urgency. Surely it’s time for Luciano Spalletti to make some more changes and try to freshen things up a bit. Far too many of his players are doing nothing and what’s worse is that plenty of them don’t seem to care that they’re on course to exit this tournament with a whimper.
57 min: It’s worth mentioning that when Barry Davies commented on the Italian inability to learn, it was when they were knocked out of the 2002 World Cup by South Korea after trying unsuccessfully to defend a one-goal lead in the traditional Italian style. My hazy recollection is that they were robbed by the referee, but the Davies point stands.
54 min: No, it was an attempted clearance under no pressure. Fagioli had lofted a seven-iron into the Swiss penalty area and Schar seemed to leap to head the ball out for a corner, only to see it hit the post. I suspect he may have erroneously thought there was an Italian behind him ready to contest the ball.
52 min: Of course they’re not out yet and almost pull a goal back when Fabian Schar heads the ball against his own post with what I presume was a rogue backpass.
49 min: Italy brought on Mattia Zaccagni at half-time, with Stphan EL Shaarawy making way. For Italy to give the ball away straight from the kick-off on the back what we can only assume was a half-time rocket from their manager was criminal. That famous old Barry Davies quote is comeing to mind: “And the Italians are out because they never learn.”
47 min: That is shocking from Italy. Absolutely shocking. They kicked off, the ball was rolled to Fagioli and his miskick went straight to a Swiss player. The men in red swarmed upfield, the ball found its way to Vargas and he curled a wonderful shot from the left side of the penalty area into the far corner. Donnarumma didn’t get near the ball, which crossed the line 27 seconds into the second half.
GOAL! Switzerland 2-0 Italy (Vargas 46)
Switzerland double their lead! Ruben Vargas curls an absolute beauty into the top corner.
Second half: Switzerland 1-0 Italy
46 min: Play resumes with Italy on the ball and their future in this competition looking bleak. They immediately give the ball away, a state of affairs that suggests things aren’t about to improve.
An email: “Hear me out as an arrogant Englishman,” writes Hugh Molloy. “I reckon only two outfield Swiss players would get in the England team, Xhaka and Akanji. However, they are an excellent team, well coached, highly motivated and with a plan. They are excellent and truly greater than the sum of their parts.”
Switzerland 1-0 Italy
Half-time: The whistle blows for the break and Switzerland go in with a one-goal lead. They’ll be happy with that but feelk they should have scored more. Donnarumma has kept a dismal Italian side in the game with two big saves. Unless they seriously up their game, the holders are going out.
44 min: Stephan El Shaarawy is booked for a foul on Fabian Schar, as the Swiss continue to run rings around their Italian opposition. They go close to scoring a second when Rieder tries to catch out Donnarumma with a clever free-kick whipped to his near post. It’s curling in but the Italian captain scampers across his line to claw the ball away.
43 min: There’s a break in play as Di Lorenzo receives treatment for an injury. I’m not sure what happened him but the game resumes with Switzerland on the ball.
40 min: Italy were pretty poor in the group stages and despite a presumption that they would improve here based on very little supporting evidence , they’ve shown very little. In fact, they’re playing really badly. England supporters take note!
38 min: Italy go behind for the fourth game in a row. It was a fine finish from Freuler, who ran on to a low Vargas cross into the penalty area. With a delightful first touch he teed himself up for a volley, before spanking the ball into the bottom left-hand corner with his second.
GOAL! Switzerland 1-0 Italy (Freuler 37)
Switzerland lead! And it’s no more than they deserve. Freuler controls a low cross with his first touch and volleys the ball into the bottom corner from eight or nine yards with his second.
34 min: Barrella is easily knocked off the ball just outside the Swiss penalty area and then sprints upfield to foul Xhaka near the halfway line, in order to prevent a promising Swiss counter-attack. He’s booked for his troubles and can have no complaints.
33 min: Italy are really struggling to hold on to the ball and are resolutely on the back foot, defending very deeply. Now it’s Bastoni who gives it away, misplacing a pass and sending the ball out for a throw-in under very little pressure.
31 min: A case in point: Italy try to play the ball out from the back but Barrella gives it away to Aebisher right in front of his own penalty area. Italy get away with on this occasion, when Rodriguez shoots high over the bar from distance.
29 min: Italy are really struggling to get the ball past the halfway line, suffering under a well organised press from the Swiss. Occasional efforts to play the ball over the top are meat and drink to the Swiss defenders, who are dealing with them comfortably so far.
28 min: Embolo holds up the ball in the Italy penalty area before playing it right and wide to Ndoye. He advances on goal and his low shot is blocked by Bastoni.
27 min: A low Federico Chiesa shot on Switzerland’s goal is cut out by Manuel Akanji. From the corner, Freuler puts the ball out for another at the near post. Switzerland clear that one as well, with Akanji doing the honours.
24 min: Breel Embolo is played in behind the Italian defence and with only Donnarumma to beat, has his curled effort saved by the onrushing goalkeeper. The Swiss striker really telegraphed his intentions there and I suspect he may have felt he was offside. Italy’s players certainly thought he was … but replays show otherwise. That has to go down as a really bad miss by Embolo.
22 min: With Switzerland pressing and probing around the edge of the Italian penalty area, Fabian Rieder coughs up cheap possession by overhitting a pass and sending the ball trundling out for a goal;-kick. The Swiss are on top here but just lacking a little bit of cutting edge.
20 min: Showing no ill effects from his earlier injury, Barrella clips a free-kick over the Swiss wall, teeing up Di Lorenzo with a shot from a tight angle. The defender misses the ball and is flagged for offside. He had no need to be and with a better timed run and shot, could have put Italy ahead.
17 min: Switzerland break upfield in a four-on-three but Vargas picks the wrong pass. A promising move ends with Embolo curling the ball harmlessly into Donnarumma’s gloves. Ndoye was in a far better position wide on the right, in acres of space screaming for the ball. I don’t think Vargas saw him.