The Swiss lose against Iceland
The Swiss footballers have still not won in 2023. Despite a convincing performance, they lost 2-1 against Iceland.
In Zurich, the Servettienne Coumba Sow and the Swiss dominated but were finally surprised by Alexandra Johannsdottir and the Icelanders.
KEYSTONE
“It’s a real test, we will take this duel seriously”. Coach Inka Grings, in place since the beginning of the year, absolutely wanted to pocket a first victory at the head of the Swiss team, after draws against Poland in February (0-0; 1-1) and last Thursday against China (0-0). It has not happened. Tuesday at Letzigrund in front of 4,000 spectators, the Swiss lost 1-2 in a friendly against Iceland, 14th in the FIFA rankings.
‹‹This is a real test, we will take this duel seriously››.
Faced with a team of a higher caliber than its previous opponents – Iceland had been eliminated from the Euro without losing a single match – the Nati however listened to its coach, dominating the debates. With the tenure of Servettiennes Sandrine Mauron and Coumba Sow, she was superior in the midfield, offering nice movements and clean raises. But she has not yet solved her offensive problems, narrowly missing around the opposing surface. The absence of Ramona Bachmann and a true centre-forward prevented the Swiss from realizing their good intentions. This is the sector that will have to be improved this summer at the World Cup in Australia/New Zealand.
Efforts rewarded
Defensively, the national team made some mistakes early in the game, punished by Glodis Viggosdottir (18th), whose goal had been canceled for offside a few minutes earlier. But this opener did not break the Swiss spirits. Their efforts were rewarded with the equalizer from Seraina Piubel, on the counter-attack (39th). The 22-year-old Zurich midfielder, who had the daunting task of replacing captain Lia Wälti, showed how much progress she has made this season by scoring her first goal.
Dominating is not winning
But dominating is not winning. And Grings’ troupe paid the price. On a smooth action, Sveindis Jonsdottir was able to deceive Livia Peng with a powerful recovery. Pushing over and over to equalize, Switzerland almost restored parity, but Noelle Maritz lacked precision in stoppage time and Luana Bühler hit the crossbar in the 96th minute. Despite this defeat, Switzerland proved that they assimilated better and better the principles of their new coach.
What all the same envisage the future with a certain optimism.
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