Switzerland-Spanish at Euro 2025: the keys to the feat

The Swiss presented themselves in front of the media this week in Thoune. Aware of being the outsider, they analyzed their evening opponent and assured want to give everything to “realize the impossible”.

Switzerland faces an immense challenge in the quarterfinals of “sound” Euro Friday in Bern. The players of Pia Sundhage want to believe that the feat is possible against Spain, world champion.

“The pressure was so strong in the last three matches that it is really nice to finally be able to free it. I think we can take advantage of this momentum to achieve the impossible ”: like all his teammates having presented to the media this week in Thoune, at the base camp of the Swiss team, Lia Wälti nourished the hope of a miracle on the lawn of the Wankdorf.

Yes, the roles are clearly defined: Spain is favorite, Switzerland is outsider. But the Roja “must” win, when the nati has “nothing to lose”.

No weak point?

Beating this formidable Spanish selection with four gold balloons (Alexia Potellas and Aitana Bonmati have won it twice), the main candidate for the final victory, would undoubtedly constitute the greatest feat of Swiss women’s football, or even in Swiss football. He would surpass the improbable success of the men of Ottmar Hitzfeld against Spain, in the group phase of the 2010 World Cup, this memorable 1-0 acquired thanks to a goal from Gelson Fernandes.

Against an adversary whose framework is that of an FC Barcelona which has dominated the European scene for five years, Switzerland will not often have the ball in its feet. Above all, she will have to defend and take advantage of the slightest opportunity to project herself as a counterattack to try to put the Iberian defense in difficulty.

The Roja rear guard is one of the rare players of play criticized by a Spanish press that is still as demanding, for which the two goals conceded during the broad success against Belgium (6-2) made a stain. “We always think that they have concerns in defense, but if they always have the ball, it is because they defend extremely well,” said Lia Wälti. “They recover the balloons very quickly and that is what will put us to the test.”

Middle Battle

With Smilla Vallotto and Géraldine Reuteler in the midfield, the Arsenal player will have much to face the best midfielder in the world: the Blaugrana trio composed of Alexia Potellas, Aitana Bonmati and Patricia Guijarro. “We know their class, but we also know that they don’t really like it when the game becomes physical,” recalls Wälti, who was able to take advantage of a week without a match to regain strength after a first round that she completed on the ball joints. The Swiss team’s courage captain was long uncertain before the Euro and her selector was herself surprised to see the 32-year-old Bernese hold her rank for 270 minutes.

It remains to be seen whether the Swiss will be complete to take up the greatest challenge of their career. The presence of the 23 players in training Wednesday reassured after the announcement of a wave of colds who forced five of them to isolate themselves at the start of the week. But you really have to hope that the virus was well contained and that the eleven best players can be aligned on Friday in the capital.

A vital audience

To touch the intangible finger, the selection of Pia Sundhagus can in any case count on an audience without which it could never have reached this already historic quarter -final. “This is clearly our strong point. The fact of having this support motivates us without common measure, “underlines Nadine Riesen, for whom the Swiss team” has never been so united as now “.

The left side had experienced the fatal elimination in the World Cup in the face of this same Roja (5-1), in Auckland, two years ago in Auckland two years ago. “It was a clear and clear defeat, but to be honest, we haven’t really talked about it since,” says Eintracht Frankfurt player.

It must be said that Switzerland has little to do with this team returned from New Zealand in perdition. Trained by a cunning selector who has not yet been mistaken in her choices, electrified by a band of future stars without complex (Iman Beney, Sydney Schertenleib, Leila Wandeler, Noemi Ivelj), these Swiss people seem well capable of raising mountains. Without forgetting their number 1 asset, still underlined by Nadine Riesen: “We have a whole country behind us. How not to be confident and optimistic? ” (JZS/ATS)