The Swiss women’s team is back to normal

The Swiss women’s team is back on track thanks to a 2-1 victory over Belgium in the fight for direct qualification for the 2022 European Championship in England.

Thanks to the narrow victory in the top game in Thun, the SFV team in Group H again took the top of the table.

In the end, the Swiss women had to tremble for victory. A bad pass from Lia Wälti allowed Tessa Wullaert to score a goal for the visitors in the 70th minute, and put Switzerland in trouble again. The SFV team had controlled the game up to that point and, thanks to blows from Malin Gut (5th) and Alisha Lehmann (63rd), they were deservedly 2-0 up. Both had hit with remarkable long shots.

The home team recovered from the reverse. In the final phase, the game shifted almost exclusively to the Swiss midfield, but they defended their goal with discipline, heart and passion. However, the guests no longer had a real chance to match.

Thanks to the victory, Switzerland overtook Belgium in the table, which had to accept the first point losses of the campaign. Now everything indicates that on December 1, qualification for the second leg in Belgium will lead to the final for group victory. In addition to the nine group winners, the top three group runners-up will also qualify directly for EM 2022 in England. The Swiss will play their next game in Romania at the end of October.

Strong Swiss reaction

The SFV team showed a strong reaction after Friday’s failed and sometimes frustrating performance in Croatia (1: 1). Coach Nils Nielsen ordered captain Wälti to enter central defense due to the failure of Viola Calligaris, who had broken her wrist in Croatia. Together with Luana Bühler, the Bernese barely let the strong Belgian offense, which had previously scored 23 goals in five games, develop and show – except for the lapse before 1: 2 – a sovereign performance.

Malin Gut and Géraldine Reuteler played in the central defensive midfield. The two youngsters from Arsenal and Eintracht Frankfurt left their mark on the game for a long time and again indicated that sooner rather than later they would become the central figures of the SFV team. Gut, 20, capped off his great performance with his first goal in his 10th international game since the start.

Telegram and table:

Switzerland – Belgium 2: 1 (1: 0)

Tuna. – No spectators. – SR Olofsson (SWE). – Goals: 5th Good (Sow) 1: 0. 63. Lehmann 2: 0. 70. Wullaert (Dhont) 2: 1.

Switzerland: Thalmann; Maritz, Bühler, Wälti, Aigbogun; Well, Reuteler; Lehmann (68th Pando), Bachmann (91st Xhemaili), Sow; Crnogorcevic.

Belgium: Evrard; Cayman, Biesmans, Deneve, Deloose; Missipo; Minnaert, Vanhaevermaet; Dhont (75. Vanmechelen), Wullaert, Philtjens (64. De Caigny).

Comments: Switzerland without Calligaris and Kiwic (both injured). Warnings: 44. Minnaert (foul). 59 Crnogorcevic (foul). 87. Good (missing).

Woman. Classification of the European Championship. Group H standings: 1. Switzerland 6/16 (18: 2). 2. Belgium 15/6 (24: 5). 3. Romania 6/5 (8:14). 4. Croatia 6/4 (6:18). 5. Lithuania 5/0 (1:18). – Next game. Tuesday, October 27 (in Mogosoaia): Romania – Switzerland.

Mode: The nine group winners and the three runners-up with the best record against teams in ranks 1 to 5 qualify directly for the final of the 2022 European Championship in England. The other six runners-up in the group battle for the last three places in a barrage.