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- The Swiss team won 3-2 in a friendly against Finland in St. Gallen.
- At halftime, Switzerland, led by Xherdan Shaqiri as captain for the first time, is 1: 2 behind the efficient Finns.
- After changing sides and several players, the «Jokers» Ruben Vargas and Haris Seferovic ensure Nati’s 3rd victory in the 3rd game of the year.
A left hook on the edge of the penalty area, a firm low shot in the lower right corner: Rubén Vargas, who had been substituted two minutes earlier, put Switzerland back in the game in the 57th minute in the friendly against Finland with a wonderful goal to make it 2-2. Creation alone would have caused euphoric applause in St. Gallen’s Kybunpark under normal circumstances: starting with goalkeeper Jonas Omlin, the national team combined across the field before the ball landed on Vargas via Christian Fassnacht.
Against the defensive solidarity defending the Finns, the national team struggled to create good chances despite the occasional possession of 75 percent of the ball, while the guests with substitute Teemuu Pukki put up some punctures. Finally, “Joker” Haris Seferovic (86.) headed at point-blank range after a cross from Vargas to make it 3-2.
First Gavranovic, then Finnish efficiency
Mario Gavranovic had scored 1-0 after a good preparatory work by Xherdan Shaqiri and Djibril Sow (21st). Compared to the Lithuanian match, Vladimir Petkovic had rotated to 9 positions, only captain Shaqiri and Nico Elvedi were on the grid on Sunday. Finland also tried a lot, leaving many celebrities on the bench with Pukki (from 77) and Glen Kamara (from 65).
The fact that Switzerland were 1: 2 behind at halftime was due less to poor performance by the national team than to the outstanding efficiency of the Finns. In the middle of all this is a 21-year-old named Onni Valakari, who makes his bread in Cyprus at Pafos FC:
- 30 minutes: Valakari brings a corner to the center. Joel Pohjanpalo heads without clarity in the Swiss goal. But because Jonas Omlin is irritated by Marcus Forss, the ball rolls into the net to make it 1: 1.
- 40. Minute: Sow is late against Valakari and causes a penalty. Union Berlin Legionnaire Pohjanpalo keeps cool from 11 meters.
Because Gavranovic hit the post from a sharp angle in the middle (here he would have wished for goals too wide rather than too high), superior Nati took a step behind the break tea despite 68 percent possession. This also spelled the end of Shaqiri’s captain’s busy premiere.
What can Vladimir Petkovic learn from this friendly? Needless to say, Vargas has great shooting technique. That Shaqiri once again acted as an invigorating element and Seferovic is always good for a goal. Otherwise, the constant changes caused the flow of the game to be largely destroyed. The bottom line is: third game this year, third win for Petkovic-Elf.
So it goes
The national team will meet again on May 24 at the Bad Ragaz (SG) training ground, where preparations for the European Championship will begin. Test matches against the United States and Liechtenstein are planned. With the start of the European Championship on June 11, Switzerland’s rivals will be Wales (June 12), Italy (June 16) and Turkey (June 20).
