In Saturday’s opening Group A match in Cologne, Switzerland defeated Hungary 3-1.
Kwadwo Duah, a striker for Ludogorets Razgrad, scored his first goal for his country, Switzerland, after just 12 minutes of play, after VAR reversed an on-field offside call.
Bologna wing-back Michel Aebischer’s excellent finish at the half saw Switzerland justifiably extend their lead. Aebischer became the first player to score and assist for the Swiss in the same game at the Euros.
But halfway through the second half, captain Dominik Szoboszlai’s enticing cross was headed home by Barnabas Varga of a resurgent Hungary, posing a threat to Marco Rossi’s team’s previously improbable comeback.
A mistake at the back allowed substitute Breel Embolo to seal the victory in injury time and go level on points with Germany at the top of the table ahead of their second encounter against Scotland on Wednesday. Hungary had been pressing forward in quest of an equaliser.
Swiss coach Murat Yakin:
“I liken football to chess and today we got our tactics right.
“We focused on making the most of our strength and we made our opponents’ lives very hard.”
Hungary coach Marco Rossi:
“The first half was very bad, we were too passive.
“I am not looking to point fingers. I am the coach, so I take responsibility.
“It’s hard to correct the kind of mistakes that we made. Our players do not make mistakes like this every day.”
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