Hungary vs Switzerland. European Championships Group A.
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Report from Euro 2024 as Switzerland beat Hungary to start tournament with a win; goals from Kwadwo Duah, Michel Aebischer and Breel Embolo move the Swiss level on points with Germany at top of Group A ahead of second match with Scotland on Wednesday; Barnabas Varga had given Hungary hope
Saturday 15 June 2024 22:37, UK
Switzerland overcame Hungary 3-1 in their opening Group A clash in Cologne on Saturday.
Ludogorets Razgrad striker Kwadwo Duah opened the scoring for the Swiss after just 12 minutes with his first-ever international goal for his country after VAR overturned an on-field offside call.
Switzerland deservedly doubled their advantage of the stroke of half-time thanks to a fine finish from Bologna wing-back Michel Aebischer, who became the first player to both score and assist for the Swiss in a single game at the Euros.
However, a resurgent Hungary hit back midway through the second period when Barnabas Varga headed home captain Dominik Szoboszlai's inviting cross as Marco Rossi's side threatened what had seemed an unlikely comeback.
With Hungary pushing forward in search of an equaliser, though, substitute Breel Embolo took advantage of a mistake at the back to seal the win in injury-time and move level on points with Germany at the top of the table ahead of their second match with Scotland on Wednesday.
Ex-Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has been named UEFA's Player of the Match.
UEFA's Technical Observer Panel said of the Switzerland captain's performance against Hungary: "He was excellent in possession, both in build-up play and in supplying penetrating passes.
"He displayed a great work ethic and showed superb leadership, offering great organisational skills."
Swiss coach Murat Yakin:
"I liken football to chess and today we got our tactics right.
"We focused on making the most of our strength and we made our opponents' lives very hard."
Hungary coach Marco Rossi:
"The first half was very bad, we were too passive.
"I am not looking to point fingers. I am the coach, so I take responsibility.
"It's hard to correct the kind of mistakes that we made. Our players do not make mistakes like this every day."
