Euro U21 Group D roundup: France remain unbeaten with Switzerland through, Italy stunned
Switzerland 1 France 4
France booked a quarter-final clash with Ukraine in the European Under-21 Championship after a convincing 4-1 win over Switzerland saw Sylvain Ripoll’s side continue their unbeaten record in closing group-stage matches since the turn of the century (W4, D1).
Despite guiding France to a second consecutive victory against Norway in matchday two, Ripoll stated his side “lacked in every aspect”.
That assessment may have been slightly harsh given their 100% record in the tournament, but Les Bleuets looked determined to impress during the early exchanges with Khephren Thuram driving them forward at every available opportunity.
Armed with the momentum, France were given a golden chance to break the deadlock when Fabian Rieder was harshly adjudged to have tripped Rayan Cherki inside the area, allowing Amine Gouiri to step up and confidently convert from the spot.
Undeterred by France’s early domination, Switzerland gradually gained a foothold in the contest and their improvement was rewarded with a glorious equaliser before the break.
Kastriot Imeri showed superb awareness in the box to step over the ball and allow it to run into the path of Zeki Amdouni, who teed up Dan Ndoye to sweep a clinical first-time finish into the far corner.
Buoyed by that brilliant leveller, Patrick Rahmen’s side emerged after the restart eager to build on their growing levels of confidence, and the Swiss came within inches of taking a shock lead when a powerful strike from Amdouni was expertly tipped over the bar by Lucas Chevalier.
Grateful for the reprieve, France soon punished Rahmen’s men, as intricate build-up play between Gouiri and Bradley Barcola set up the latter for a cool finish beyond Amir Saipi.
With time ticking into the final 20 minutes, Switzerland searched for a response to keep their hopes of a quarter-final spot alive.
However, it was Les Bleuets who found their groove late on, adding gloss to the scoreline thanks to sublime strikes from Cherki and captain Maxence Caqueret.
The result sees France top Group D with three wins from three, setting up a quarter-final clash with Ukraine. While Switzerland, despite the heavy defeat, scrape into the last eight themselves after Norway overcame Italy in Group D’s other fixture.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Amine Gouri (France)
Italy 0 Norway 1
In what was expected to be a pleasant walk through to the quarter-finals, Italy crashed out of the UEFA European U21 Championship in the most spectacular manner, falling victim to a spirited Norway outfit 1-0 at the Cluj Arena in Romania.
In control of their own destiny Italy threatened to score early, with Pietro Pellegri and Wilfried Gnonto waiting for the right moment to create goal-bound opportunities in the face of a stern Norwegian rearguard. Not even a win would guarantee progression for Leif Gunnar Smerud’s men, but little did that deter them from giving it their all, as they deftly dealt with the Italian advances.
Evidently, the Azzurrini struggled to strike a chord in attack, as they relied heavily upon set-pieces to deal first blood. However, for large parts, they looked like a shadow of the team that scored thrice in the first half in the 3-2 victory over Switzerland in the previous game.
Besides, the pouring rain played spoilsport as halftime approached, with Norway perhaps heading into the break more satisfied of the two.
The complexion of the game almost changed when Hakon Evjen forced Marco Carnesecchi into a save ten minutes into the second period, but it was Gnonto’s missed strike on the other end just moments later that indicated the onset of an evenly matched half.
Italy’s worst nightmare then came true just after the hour mark, when Erik Botheim tapped in an inch-perfect cross by Antonio Nusa to give Norway a glimmer of hope to qualify through to the knockout stages.
However, much depended on how the encounter between France and Switzerland panned out in the other showdown at the Stadionul Dr Constantin Radulescu, less than three kilometres away.
Nicolo Cambiaghi had the last real chance to put the Azzurrini through, as he struck the underside of the crossbar in the dying minutes and missed the chance to equalise.
Paolo Nicolato’s outfit ultimately crashed out of the group stages alongside Norway, missing the chance to make it five quarter-final appearances in their last seven Euro U21 tournaments.
Meanwhile, the Norwegians will exit the tournament with their heads held high, after a first victory in seven games and a fourth straight unbeaten match with the Azzurrini.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Erik Botheim (Norway)