GROUP A
Italy 4-0 Switzerland
Chiesa 34', 54' 85'
Jorginho 67'
Michael Grew
Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy
Wednesday 17th June
Swiss coach Vladimir Petković joked at last night’s pre-match press conference that it was nice to be home. His relationship with the Stadio Olimpico, however, is at best complicated. Site of his greatest managerial triumph to date, winning the Copa Italia with Roma back in 2013, it is also home to his former team, the split with whom was extremely fraught, and is in fact still the subject of an ongoing legal dispute. Victory this evening, then, would perhaps provide more than merely the 3 points his team desperately needed against an Italian side who hardly set the tournament alight in their first match against Turkey. It was, however, not meant to be, as Federico Chiesa continued his fabulous tournament form with three more memorable finishes, consigning Petković’s men to what will surely be their first group stage exit from a major tournament since 2010.
The opening period was played at a frenetic pace, with both teams keen to take control of the game. The Swiss clearly intended to give Granit Xhaka free reign in the centre, and the Arsenal midfielder nearly repaid this faith in the 6th minute. Moving past Barella, given his first start of the tournament, Xhaka sent a perfectly weighted ball through to Haris Seferović , splitting the Italian defence. The Benfica striker made good contact with his shot, but Salvatore Sirigu was equal to it, pushing the ball away to his left and out for a corner. The resulting set piece led to nothing, but the Swiss’ positive start had their fans on their feet.
As the half wore on though, the Italians began to tighten their grip on proceedings. Barella began to justify his place in the starting line-up, with both he and Jorginho controlling the midfield as Xhaka’s early liveliness faded. However, the opener came not from the centre, but the wing, as Cristiano Biraghi surged down the left flank in the 34th minute before delivering a ball inside to Chiesa, who stood with his back to the goal on the edge of the area. The Fiorentina star flicked the ball behind him with the outside of his right foot, before spinning a flummoxed Ricardo Rodríguez to collect the ball bearing down on Yann Sommer in the Swiss goal. The finish was clinical, buried into the bottom right corner of the net, and the stadium erupted. The ball had been at his feet for no more than 4 seconds, but Federico Chiesa had just provided a goal which will be celebrated in highlights reels for an eternity. The Swiss players looked at each other, their place in the last 16 disappearing quickly. Their captain, Stephan Lichtsteiner, no doubt playing his last competitive tournament for his country, called his team together as the Italians celebrated. The passion of his speech was clear to see, and the Swiss players returned to their positions with clear purpose.
The rest of the half was a pleasure to behold, as both teams gave no quarter. The Swiss were playing for their survival but the Italians too seemed to be searching for goals, perhaps feeling that a second would put the game beyond doubt. While there were no more goals before half-time, the high octane, end to end football on show was a reminder to us all why we love this sport so much. There was almost a groan of disappointment from the stands as the whistle blew, and the players headed for a well earned 15 minutes of recuperation.
The second half began with a far more cautious Italian set up. Gone were the marauding raids down both flanks, with Biraghi and Giovanni Di Lorenzo clearly being told to hold back and earn their corn as defenders. This gave the Swiss space to push forward into, but prevented them from really threatening the Italian goal as they had done in the first half.
Yet, as time ebbed away, the urgency in the Swiss game became more apparent, with unforced errors creeping in. It seemed only a matter of time before one of these was to be costly, and so it proved in the 54th minute. Granit Xhaka dwelt too long on the ball and was dispossessed by an alert Barella, who chipped the ball over Lichtsteiner’s head for the lightning boots of Chiesa to chase. There was no contest between the 22 year old Italian and the Swiss captain, 14 years his senior. Chiesa sprinted towards his target and, seeing Sommer rushing out to meet him, chipped the ball beautifully from the edge of the area into the back of the net. Swiss heads fell once more, and this time there was no team talk from their erstwhile leader.
The game descended into a scrappy affair from this point, with both Xhaka and Sommer going into the referee’s book, the former for a niggly trip on Jorginho and the latter for dissent at a decision to award an inconsequential corner. This moment of indiscipline from the Borussia Mönchengladbach keeper was to cost him, and put the game beyond any doubt in the 67th minute.
A strangely quiet Ciro Immobile was finally played in after a clever one-two with Chiesa, and as he rounded the Swiss keeper the points looked all but assured. However, in a moment of madness or frustration, Sommer stuck out a petulant leg, tripping the Lazio striker as he was about to pull the trigger. The referee was given no choice but to point to the spot and produce a second yellow card for Sommer. This resulted in Rodríguez being beckoned to the bench and Yvon Mvogo taking his position to face the Italian penalty.
During the drama of the red card and subsequent Swiss substitution, a heated discussion had ensued between the Italian players and coaching staff. Immobile clearly felt that, having won the penalty, it was his to take and, desperate to open his account for this tournament, he had picked up the ball and was refusing to give it to an incensed Federico Chiesa, who was on the cusp of his first international hattrick. As tempers frayed, Roberto Mancini stepped in sternly and handed the ball to Jorginho. While it is true that the Chelsea man is the principle penalty taker for Italy, one wonders whether being a stickler for the rules was, in this case, a handy get out for the Italian head coach. Jorginho dutifully slotted the ball into the corner, with Mvogo guessing right but not being able to reach it. Chiesa and Immobile both sulked at the halfway line.
There was to be a happy ending for Chiesa though, and one he richly deserved. With the game now utterly beyond doubt, the Swiss players surrendered possession, allowing the Italians 80% of the ball in the final 20 minutes. Although mostly harmless, the Italians did manage one more attacking move in the 85th minute. A ball from Marco Verratti, who had come on in place of Barella, found Chiesa on the edge of the D. His first time connection spoke of a man in fine form and not lacking in confidence, and the way the ball dipped beyond Mvogo into the corner demonstrated that this confidence is not misplaced. The fairytale for the Fiorentina man was complete, an international hattrick. The Swiss bowed their heads, with some fans even reluctantly applauding the Italian as he celebrated.
Assuming they do not pass through to the knockouts as one of the better-placed third-place teams, the full time whistle signalled what will surely be the competitive end to a Swiss campaign which many had felt would build upon previous tournaments- not fail to match them. The Italians meanwhile have certainly demonstrated their credentials as real contenders for this trophy, not least thanks to newfound darling of La Nazionale, Federico Chiesa.
Man of the Match: Federico Chiesa