SWISS CAN BOSS BIG TEAMS: YAKIN

Statement win over Italy shows Switzerland are on right track; Azzurri down but Spalletti stays

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BERLIN - Switzerland coach Murat Yakin was thrilled with his team's deserved 2-0 win over reigning champions Italy at Euro 2024 on June 29, saying it was proof they "can go toe-to-toe" with Europe's heavyweights.

They reached the quarter-finals for the second time in their history, with goals from Remo Freuler and Ruben Vargas capping an impressive performance at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

"There are only good sides at the Euro. We went unbeaten in the group stage and played well, and the Germany game showed we can go toe-to-toe with teams like that," said Yakin.

"We sent out an important signal tonight with the game we played. We did not only defended as a unit and sat back, we showed we could attack and dominate proceedings."

Vargas added: "We caused problems for Italy because we were very aggressive, right from the word go. We had the better of every 5050, we didn't give them any time to breathe, we were constantly breathing down their necks."