Switzerland 2-0 Ireland
The UEFA Europe spots in Group D are still up for grabs as Ireland’s hopes of qualifying automatically for the Euro 2020 have taken a hit when they lost against Switzerland, 2-0, at the Stade de Geneve on Wednesday morning.
While Ireland are still atop of the table with 12 points, they are now in tight race against Denmark and Switzerland who also have 12 and 11 points respectively, while Georgia and Gibraltar’s Euro 2020 odds of booking their spot are very much unlikely now.
Haris Seferovic broke the ice between these two sides with an early goal, and the game was essentially over sealed by an own goal by Ireland’s Shane Duffy.
Ireland boss Mick McCarthy ended the game with only ten men when Everton defender Seamus Coleman was given a red card late putting a big hole on their defence. He is expected to miss their next game against Denmark.
They will have to win over the Danes on November 18 to secure their qualification spot in Group D, barring unlikely slips by Switzerland in their next few matches against Georgia and Gibraltar.
As always, SBOBET is here to bring you some of the best Euro 2020 highlights in this fixture.
Highlights of the game
The heavy rains almost threatened to postpone the game, but it had just stopped just in time for the game though the pitch was left a bit sodden.
Brighton striker Aaron Connolly made his international debut for Ireland, but Mick McCarthy decided to put in a 3-5-2 formation early in this match. Perhaps this was his way to provide ample support for Connolly at the middle.
From the get-go, the Swiss controlled for the most part at the first half, thanks to the ball handling brilliance of Breel Embolo and team captain Granit Xhaka.
The Arsenal midfielder let out the team’s first goal chance in the game when he decided to launch a far strike outside the box, but Darren Randolph was there to parry the ball out of harm’s way.
With the home team pushing the tempo and finding creases in the Republic’s porous defence, Haris Seferovic finally broke through with a goal in the 16th minute after the Irish defenders failed to clear the ball out. The Benfica striker caught Shane Duffy and Darren Randolph off guard when he launched a right-foot strike just as he controlled the ball after a tip by his teammate.
Fast forward to the 30th minute, Ireland had a decent chance when Seamus Coleman earned a free kick after a foul by Switzerland. The Republic let out a lovely cross that flew inside the box, but the two header attempts for a goal was saved by Yann Sommer.
Sean Duffy almost headed one in what was one of the few good chances for Ireland after a corner kick at the 41st minute, but it just went to the hands of Sommer.
The Republic opted for long balls early to send Switzerland back towards their own goal. However, that backfired as it gave the home team more possessions and they played more freely because of that.
It also didn’t help when players over McCarthy’s side looked lost from time to time with his experimental scheme on defence. Enda Stevens and James McClean were often wandering to the left side leaving Seamus Coleman on an island to the right flank.
Even with a slight change in formation to a 4-4-2 in the second half, it was pretty much the same theme as Switzerland continued to take control throughout this match. They almost scored another goal at the 52nd minute with a header attempt by Renato Steffen, but Randolph was there once again.
Things went from bad to worse for Ireland in the game’s last 20 minutes. Seamus Coleman was penalised with a red card for a handball in the box when he blocked a shot from Breel Embolo, but it was subsequently saved by Darren Randolph.
To cap off Ireland’s miserable night, Shane Duffy accidentally scored an own goal in added time in an attempt to block Edimilson Fernandes’ strike that whizzed by Randolph’s heel.
Key statistics
As mentioned, the Swiss have outclassed Ireland in this match as they controlled possession (56-per cent), and they had more total shots (20).
Haris Seferovic had a direct hand in 10 goals of his last eight home matches for the Swiss (eight goals, two assists).
Seamus Coleman became the first Irish player to be red carded in a competitive game since Shane Duffy against Les Bleus back in the Euro 2016 tournament.
The Republic of Ireland have suffered their first loss under Mick McCarthy since returning as their manager. Their defeat also leaves the Danes as the only unbeaten team in Group D.
What’s next?
The home team should cruise along as they’ll face Georgia and Gibraltar next, while Ireland will have a friendly game against New Zealand first before hosting Denmark on mid-November.
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