Adieu to the first class. The France leaves the scene and now theEuropean it no longer has designated masters. There Switzerland makes the coup in the eighth final against the world champions, kicks out the team of Didier Deschamps on penalties and in the quarterfinals he will face the Spain. In Bucharest, regular time ends with a 3-3 pyrotechnic, full of twists and missed knockouts: France goes under, pierced by Seferovic, straightens the game in the second half – after the error on penalty of Rodriguez – with the brace of Benzema and the magic of Pogba, but the Swiss in the last ten minutes get back on their feet again with Seferovic e Gavranovic. And if Switzerland from the spot is perfect, the cockerels are betrayed by Mbappé, fifth penalty taker and author of the decisive error. Which probably marks the end of the Deschamps era (Zinedine Zidane is without a bench …) and reopens the games of a European without certainties and without a real favorite.
From the very first minutes it is clear that the evening for France will be complicated. Even before Seferovic’s precise blow, which he dominates Langlet and it really scares the reigning world champions, forced to chase after a quarter of an hour. The slap Mbappè and his companions, who continue to struggle to create headaches in the parts of Sommer, do not wake up immediately from the torpor. The three tenors Griezmann-Mbappè-Benzema they understand little, also because they receive few supplies.
In the second half Deschamps immediately tries to give the shock, inserting Coman in place of Lenglet, for a front-wheel drive France with four strikers on the pitch at the same time. The bleus gain from midfield upwards but they wobble dangerously behind. And at 10 ‘ Surname in slip stretches out Zuber, contact that does not escape the Where. Ricardo Rodriguez can dig a groove from the spot, but Lloris it is overcome by rejecting the low shot, but not too angled, of the Torino full-back.
It is a shock for France, which overturns everything in 3 minutes with Benzema. First the Real Madrid striker equalized by overtaking the outgoing goalkeeper after passing his marker with a splendid control. Then, not even 180 seconds later, he bagged head to goal unguarded finalizing a splendid triangulation between Griezmann and Mbappé. Switzerland is on the ropes, physically and mentally. And the world champions have no mercy, because Pogba is fishing for 15 minutes from the end jolly with a splendid shot from outside the area. All easy, all beautiful. Too much too. Because Switzerland gets back to pressing on the accelerator and with Seferovic (leading) and Gavranovic (good restart), they equalize the score. France wakes up from its nightmare and almost avoids the extra thirty minutes. But the shooting round of Coman turns off on crossbar.
In overtime, Switzerland lowers the center of gravity and try to manage the result. France attacks with its head down, inevitably. Coman, the coolest, is the most dangerous: from one of his initiatives Pavard still exalts summer. In the second half, the best opportunities happen on Mbappé’s feet, not very lucid. And decisive in the negative in the eleven-meter lottery that makes Switzerland fly to the quarterfinals. France returns home, betrayed by its own cover man and by their individuals, excellent on a personal level but not in the collective.
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