Spain reaches EURO 2020 semi-finals after eliminating Switzerland on Penalties. Though Swiss eliminated from the competition, they have won many hearts with their performance.
Switzerland down to 10 man in 77 minute due to controversial Red card decision from Match referee Michael Oliver. They Survived with 10 men for almost 40 minutes against mighty Spain.
Key stats
- Spain have now scored 12 goals at EURO 2020, equalling their highest ever total at a EURO finals, set in 2008 and 2012. They won both those tournaments after six games; this was their fifth at EURO 2020.
- Spain have lost only one of their previous 23 international matches against Switzerland (W16 D6 L1).
- Spain are unbeaten in their last 13 international fixtures (W6 D7).
- Spain have lost only two of their last 21 EURO final tournament matches (excludes penalty shoot-outs).
- Spain have not conceded more than one goal in any of their last 15 international matches against Switzerland.
- Three of Spain’s last five EURO quarter-final matches have required a penalty shoot-out to decide the outcome (L vs England 1996, W vs Italy 2008, W vs Switzerland EURO 2020).
- Xherdan Shaqiri has now scored four goals in EURO final tournaments, becoming Switzerland’s all-time top scorer at this level.
- Switzerland have lost each of their four major final tournament quarter-finals (1934, 1938, 1954 FIFA World Cups and EURO 2020).
- Switzerland have only failed to score in one of their last 13 international matches (not counting their awarded 3-0 victory vs Ukraine).
- Switzerland have only failed to score in two of their last 11 EURO final tournament matches.
- After his assist for Xherdan Shaqiri, Remo Freuler is only the second player to be involved in a goal and get a red card in the same game at the European Championship, after Nuno Gomes with Portugal against France at EURO 2000.
- Switzerland’s Yann Sommer has already made 8 saves in this game – more than any other goalkeeper in a single game of the EURO2020.
- Spain have both progressed and been eliminated from four of their eight penalty shootouts at major tournaments (EUROs/World Cup), whilst Switzerland have progressed from one of their three, knocking out France in the Last 16 at this tournament.
- Spain are the sixth nation to progress from two separate knockout matches of a single European Championship tournament that went to extra-time or beyond – all five previous sides to do so went on to win the competition.
- Denis Zakaria’s own goal is the tenth we’ve seen at EURO2020, which is now one more than were scored at each of the previous 15 editions of the European Championships combined (9).
- Pedri is only the second European player in major tournament history (World Cup/EUROs) to start as many as five such matches at the age of 18 or below, after Northern Ireland’s Norman Whiteside, who started five times when aged 17 at the 1982 World Cup.
- This is Switzerland’s fourth quarter-final appearance in a major tournament (World Cup and EURO), and their first at the EUROs. They have lost their previous three such games – 3-2 vs Czechoslovakia (1934), 2-0 vs Hungary (1938) and 7-5 vs Austria (1954).
