Yann Sommer’s decisive penalty save from Kylian Mbappé booked Switzerland’s place in the quarterfinals at EURO 2020. Nico Elvedi and Breel Embolo also started in the penalty shootout win over world champions France in Bucharest.
Last night’s game won’t be forgotten by Yann Sommer in a hurry. Before the match had even begun, it was a momentous one for Borussia’s number one. He won his 65th cap for his country, making him the all-time record appearance maker for Swiss goalkeepers. The game itself was a true spectacle. Switzerland held France to a 3-3 draw after 120 minutes, then beating them on penalties, with Sommer saving Kylian Mbappé’s effort to win it. “We’ve written history. We’ve had the chance to do so on a few occasions in the past, but failed. This time we looked each other in the eyes and said we’re going to succeed now,” said Sommer.
The first 90 minutes were action packed in Romania’s capital. Switzerland, who included Sommer, Nico Elvedi (played the whole game) and Breel Embolo (came off after 79 minutes) in their starting XI, took the lead after 15 minutes through Haris Seferovic. Ricardo Rodriguez then missed a golden opportunity to double their advantage in the second half, having his penalty saved by Hugo Lloris. This miss was then compounded by a rapid Karim Benzema brace to swing the game back in France’s favour (57’, 59’). A stunner from Paul Pogba seemed to have decided the result (75’), however Switzerland didn’t give up. Seferovic pulled one back with nine minutes to play and then Mario Gavranovic levelled things up in injury time.
EUROs debut for Thuram
“The way we came back and believed in ourselves was unbelievable. Nobody thought we had a chance at that point. Coming from two goals down against the world champions is incredible,” added Sommer. “We promised ourselves before the game that we wouldn’t give up regardless of how it was going. I’m so proud of this team.” Gladbach attacker Marcus Thuram made his EUROs debut in extra time, coming on in the 112nd minute. He also took a penalty, beating Sommer with a well-placed strike into the corner.
Ultimately, it was Sommer’s night in Bucharest. Aside from the decisive Mbappé penalty, he also made several excellent saves throughout the 120 minutes. “It was an amazing evening of football. We showed so much character and fight – we left everything we could out on that pitch,” commented Sommer after Switzerland’s first win over France in 29 years. They are now in the quarterfinals of the EUROs for the first time ever, where they will face Spain on Friday night in St. Petersburg (18:00 CEST).
