Switzerland send title holders Italy crashing out of Euro 2024

Soccer Football - Euro 2024 - Round of 16 - Switzerland v Italy - Berlin Olympiastadion, Berlin, Germany - June 29, 2024 Switzerland's Remo Freuler celebrates scoring their first goal REUTERS / Annegret Hilse TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Switzerland dumped title holders Italy out of Euro 2024 with a stunning 2-0 victory on Saturday to reach the quarter-finals for just the second time.

Murat Yakin's well-drilled side outplayed the two-time winners in the last 16 clash in Berlin and will face England or Slovakia in the next round.

Ruben Vargas teed up Remo Freuler for Switzerland's 37th minute opener before curling home superbly himself right at the start of the second half to double their lead.

A new-look Italy, short on star power and without many of the key figures that led them to Euro 2020 glory, offered little in response to Switzerland's energetic display.

"It hurts, it really hurts," said Italy's captain and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

"We can only say sorry to everyone, we were disappointing today and they deserved to win. We struggled all game long."

Former Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka, arriving at the Euros after a stunning season with Bayer Leverkusen, led the way as the Swiss rarely looked without control.

"I'm at a loss for words, it was the most important game of my career," said Swiss midfielder Fabian Rieder.

"Everyone played for each other, we worked well in defence and attack... we have an incredibly great team.

"We want to enjoy the moment now but keep working hard for the next game."

Though the Swiss defended well, the Italians made their job easier by giving the ball away cheaply in central positions and failing to press with any conviction.

After a slow start on a sweltering evening in Berlin, Switzerland should have taken the lead in the 24th minute when Breel Embolo was played in, but his attempt to wait out Donnarumma didn't succeed and the Italian goalkeeper comfortably parried his curled shot.

It was an early warning of what was to come and the Italians could not hold on to the ball at all in the first half with even the most basic passes finding a red shirt, rather than a blue one.

Looking far more like defending champions than their sluggish opponents, the Swiss breakthrough came in the 37th minute with brilliantly-worked goal.

Michel Aebischer roamed into the middle of the pitch, opening space on the left for Vargas, and though his pin-point pass tested Freuler's first touch, the midfielder hammered the ball home to send his side in ahead at the break.

Whatever Luciano Spalletti said at half-time did not have the desired effect and his side were two down within a minute, with Italy's defence looking on as Vargas curled a stunning shot into the top corner.

The Swiss almost threw the Italians a lifeline in the 51st minute as Schaer's glancing defensive header wrong-footed his own keeper Yann Sommer, leaving him to watch helplessly as the ball bounced up and hit the far post before being cleared.

With the clock ticking along, the Italian players seemed paralysed in the face of the resolute Swiss defence, resorting to speculative long shots that did little to trouble Sommer.

The woodwork intervened again in the 74th minute as Gianluca Scammacca scuffed the ball onto the near post from close range but that was as close as Italy came, and their fans were streaming out of the stands long before the final whistle, with those left in their seats dumbstruck by their team's insipid performance.

Italy defender Matteo Darmian admitted it was not a good enough effort.

"A sense of disappointment and regret certainly prevails, there was the desire and the possibility to do better, unfortunately we didn't succeed and it is right to take responsibility and show our face," he said.