Switzerland 6-0 Iceland
If you thought of the UEFA Nations League Switzerland vs Iceland match to be a close battle, I wouldn’t blame you. After all, the perennial underdogs were simply phenomenal during the 2016 Euros and the 2018 World Cup, the first major tournaments Iceland participated in.
Meanwhile, Switzerland also came off a strong outing in Russia, making it out of the group stage before bowing out to Sweden. The pre-game preview was so tight that Switzerland vs Iceland odds were relatively close.
However, everyone was taken for a surprise when the hosts put on a show for their home crowd and had a fantastic 6-0 victory. Many neutrals were probably surprised with the form the visiting Iceland team displayed after their recent form.
Highlights of the game
The game kicked off with a motivated Switzerland threatening to score an early goal against Iceland. Haris Seferovic created some space inside the box to unleash a powerful shot to the left side of the goal. Hannes Halldorsson, the goalkeeping hero in their World Cup match against Argentina, had to pull off a strong save.
Iceland attempted to break against Switzerland when Fabian Schar made a poor tackle and got booked for a yellow. Iceland fired a free kick that didn’t end up on the foot of an Iceland player.
The Kyubunpark could smell a goal, but they didn’t know which side would score first. Fortunately for them, it was Vladimir Petkovic’s men who would score first in the 13th minute. Ricardo Rodriguez was with the ball on the left side of the box and made the pass to Steven Zuber. The open Zuber then fired a beautiful shot at the top corner, and the ball hit the crossbar before heading to the net.
The Swiss continued to pound their guests, and their persistent attacks would eventually lead to another goal on 23 minutes. Xherdan Shaqiri took the free kick to the goal, which was deflected by Halldorsson. His deflection ended up on the feet of Schar, who passed it to an open Denis Zakaria. There was no way the Borussia Monchengladbach man would miss that close to the goal.
The Iceland supporters that made the trek to St. Gallen hoped that the winds would change when the second half began, but Shaqiri quickly snuffed any hopes of that happening. He took a brilliant free-kick that cut through the air, past the outstretched Halldorsson, and into the back of the net.
The Swiss never let their foot off the gas pedal as the match continued, even though they were already ahead by three goals by 64 minutes. They continued to dispossess their opponents and masterfully handled their high pressing with choice passes to open spaces. They were able to neutralise whatever good form the Strakarnir okkar had over the last two years.
The good times at Kyubun Park just kept going as the Swiss made yet another superb goal. The Swiss had the ball deep in Iceland territory, and Schar made a brilliant back pass to Haris Seferovic. The Benfica striker hit the ball with power towards the bottom-left corner to balloon the lead to an unbelievable 4-0.
Four became five four minutes later when Seferovic was found with the ball deep in the Icelandic penalty box. He redeemed an offside call that disallowed a goal two minutes ago, made a lovely inside pass for Albian Ajeti to tap in for Goal No 5.
Iceland had an opportunity to at least get a consolation goal when Jon Dadi Bodvarsson got the ball just in front of the goal. However, the Reading forward’s efforts was a bitter pill to swallow for Iceland fans as his attempt went just wide of the right post.
While it seemed bad to keep on pounding an opponent who’s already down, this Switzerland team can’t help but score. Again, the Swiss mounted their attacks on the right. This time, it was Admir Mehmedi who scored the goal off a fine pass from Zakaria.
The crowd begged for one more, and the Rossocrociati tried to deliver, but the Icelandic backline stopped the humiliating loss from escalating even further. The game ended 6-0, and a delighted Kyubun Arena stood up and applauded their players at the end of the match.
Key statistics
Switzerland vs Iceland highlights were one-sided, and the statistics also showed how well the hosts played.
The Swiss had 60% of the possession, made 20 shot attempts, and had four corners. They also did well in keeping possession, completing 505 of their 568 pass attempts. Granit Xhaka, deemed by Stephane Henchoz unsuitable to captain the squad, was a solid force in midfield with his 91% pass completion rate and five tackles.
Meanwhile, Iceland struggled to find the back of the net as they only made three goal attempts in 90 minutes. While they had 22 free-kick attempts, they weren’t able to do much against a solid Swiss defence. They are sorely missing Heimir Hallgrimsson’s guidance, as the superb Iceland manager stepped down after the World Cup.
What’s next?
Switzerland will be coming to their friendly against England with a lot of confidence. The Three Lions will always be a tough fixture for the Rossocrociati, and such a win will help the side perform well at the King Power Stadium.
Meanwhile, Iceland will be hosting a powerful Belgium side in their second Nations League match. SBOBET odds will surely be lopsidedly in favour of the Red Devils, but I will not write out the Strakarnir okkar just yet.
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