This victory sent an entire country into ecstasy!
In a fantastic match, Switzerland defeated world champions France by penalties, advancing to the quarterfinals of a major tournament for the first time in 67 years. The 2008 and 2012 European champions are waiting with Spain. (EM Quarterly: Switzerland – Spain, 6 p.m. LIVETICKER)
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Schmidt: “The whole country is proud”
“The whole country is proud. This victory went like thunder all over the country. The joy is immense,” said Martin Schmidt, Switzerland sports director, in an interview. SPORT1.
The fact that the team from Switzerland can play strong did not come as a surprise to the former coaches of FSV Mainz 05 and VFL Wolverhampton: “The quality of the team is clear: half at the Bundesliga, others at England or Italy.”
In recent times, the team has mostly been away from important games. However, it turned out to be against the world champion. “The game against France clearly showed that Switzerland can win big games too,” Schmidt said.
Schmidt breaks Lance for Switzerland coach
In particular, coach Vladimir Petkovic cites a major role in Schmidt’s success – he can not understand the frequent criticism of the Swiss national coach. “He was one of the most misunderstood people in Switzerland. If you lost, he did something wrong. If you won, the team would only be fine,” Schmidt often describes the tenant in his home country.
“But the experts always knew we had the best coach (…). He gave the team a face and a philosophy – the ball. The coach has more than 50 percent of the victory – not only in Switzerland yet, we are a world-class man,” Schmidt said. Says, gave his comrade a Lance.
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Switzerland have to deal with a painful defeat
After a fantastic entry into the quarterfinals, the whole of Switzerland was upside down – only the suspension of captain Granit Shaga for the next game clouded the mood.
Schmidt still has no doubt that the Swiss can make up for the loss of the leading player.
“Switzerland’s team is now wide, and the game hasn’t gotten worse with players from the bench,” Schmidt explained. For this reason, the 54-year-old has high hopes for his teammates: “Switzerland’s quality will definitely cause big problems for the next enemy. You can count on everything.”
Against Spain, Switzerland could deliver the next European Championship hammer today.
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