“If a shirt is pulled, they can come apart”, Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic said.
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The Swiss nipped Albania, 1-0, in their opener last Saturday before settling to a 1-1 tie with Romania in their second round match held at the at the Parc des Princes in Paris on Wednesday, ESPN reported.
Albania coach De Biasi hopes his side can find their clinical edge to score a first goal of Euro 2016.
“We have the possibility to play for first place, but our opponents are targeting that as well”, he said.
While the coach and goalkeeper could not praise the commitment of Cana highly enough, the same could not be said of a player conspicuous through his absence from the national team in their first appearance on one of football’s biggest stages.
With both sides recently demonstrating the ability to dominate and with a round-of-16 date with a third-place finisher awaiting as the reward for victory, the Swiss will be highly motivated to strike first in what could be another high-scoring match between these longtime rivals.
“I think Lorik is a very important player for the Albanian team because he’s got more experience and is emotionally committed”, he said. If Romania can keep their cool, they will be able to score a couple of goals and give them a good chance to finish second in their group. “Free kicks usually involve aerial challenges and that’s down to the individual and the aggression he puts into a challenge”.
“It’s only natural there are expectations”, said captain Hugo Lloris yesterday in defence of Griezmann and Pogba. His players embraced the style of play he imported from Italy, and they now share his belief that one more display of staunch defense will have its rewards. “I spoke to the guys and told them that if we want to carry on, we must take advantage of all the chances we have”.
Switzerland doesn’t have fond memories of playing its neighbor at major competitions. They defeated Albania, 1-0 and drew with Romania 1-1.
But his reaction – an explicit pump of the arm, apparently directed at the press box – caused a scandal and, despite the 23-year-old apologising, it has placed him squarely in the media crosshairs.
Swizterland, which lost 5-2 to France two years ago at the World Cup, occasionally threatened on the break but was largely dominated as France forced a succession of corners.
Switzerland: Yann Sommer, Stephan Lichtsteiner, Fabian Schaer, Johan Djourou, Ricardo Rodriguez, Valon Behrami, Granit Xhaka, Blerim Dzemaili, Xherdan Shaqiri, Admir Mehmedi, Breel Embolo. Overall, I see Les Bleus finally putting in a genuine world class performance to officially stamp their mark as favourites of the tournament they are hosting.
Even if winning is not a must, Switzerland is eager to get the most out of the match.
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Until the closing stages it had been a frustrating night for France.
