1:1 against Israel: Switzerland misses out on early European Championship qualification
Switzerland missed out on early qualification for the European Football Championship in Germany after conceding a late goal. In Granit Xhaka's record-breaking game, the Swiss were held to a 1:1 (1:0) draw against Israel in Felcsút, Hungary.
Bundesliga professional Ruben Vargas from FC Augsburg had put Switzerland ahead in the 36th minute. Shon Weissman (88) equalized for Israel. Switzerland's Edimilson Fernandes from FSV Mainz 05 was shown the red card in stoppage time for rough play.
With a win, Switzerland would have already qualified for the European Championship two match days before the end of the group games. Despite the draw, coach Murat Yakin's team took over the lead in the table with 16 points ahead of Romania, who are level on points. Israel, who picked up their first point in their second international match since the terrorist attacks by Hamas following the 1-0 draw in Kosovo, are third with twelve points and can also still hope to qualify for the European Championship.
119th international match for Xhaka
Swiss captain Grani Xhaka became the Swiss national team's sole record player with his appearance on Wednesday. The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder played his 119th international match, leaving Heinz Hermann behind, who played 118 times for Switzerland.
Israel's matches were not played in October due to the war in Gaza. The team will therefore now play four matches in just over a week. After the encounters in Kosovo and against Switzerland, the matches against Romania (Saturday) and three days later in Andorra are on the program. Israel plays its home games on neutral pitches.
The war was triggered by the massacre carried out by terrorists from the Islamist Hamas and other extremist Palestinian organizations in the border region on 7 October.
Despite Granit Xhaka's record-breaking 119th international appearance for Switzerland, the team narrowly missed out on an early qualification for the European Championship with a 1:1 draw against Israel. Xhaka, playing in a midfield role for Bayer Leverkusen, helped Switzerland take an early lead through Ruben Vargas, but Shon Weissman's equalizer in the 88th minute denied Switzerland a crucial victory. Despite the draw, Granit Xhaka's team remained at the top of the group table, with a chance to secure qualification in the upcoming matches.
Source: www.dpa.com
