Switzerland - Czech Republic 0-1 There couldn’t have been a worse start

Will Switzerland’s European Championship begin in tears and end in tears?
I apologise if this entry gradually wavers into an emotional ramble but I’m shocked at how we lost this game. Some games make you realise how alive and kicking nemesis can be.
The ultimate tally is that of two penalty calls unnoticed, three yellow cards, a crossbar, your opponents scoring on their only shot and worst of all, Frei’s terribly injury.
Fortune is never the 12th player in Switzerland’s formation, how many downfalls and disappointments shattered the enthusiasm of one of Europe’s most promising teams?
The cocktail of absurdities is a hard one to swallow.
I want to find one Swiss fan who hasn’t wasted some tears for poor Alexander Frei, more human than ever, perhaps realising that his dream is over? What Swiss Fan can’t understand the anger of Magnin and Barnetta, the frustration of the entire Swiss team and the glazed and silent eyes of our poor coach Kobi Kuhn?
This should have been an astonishing win, a win to be dedicated to Kuhn’s wife, to all the Swiss players who had to leave, a win for Frei and a win for all the Swiss fans who were awaiting this tournament with great expectation.

What is left, however, is the usual meaningless dust of regrets. The ripples of Switzerland’s attacking waves crashed with the pragmatism of the Czech defence aided and unaided by an unbelievable divine help that granted them a narrow escape from the fires of St. Jakob.
Perhaps the only mistake the Swiss defence made, the only moment in which concentration was weakened, is paid dearly, too dearly.
And how will Kuhn, worried for a life he loves that is not within his power to control like a football team, speak to a team that has proven to be superior to any team yet lacking the ability to obtain the result they seek, a team with the youngest players of the continent, a team that was called upon to triumph upon the eve of their most important chance to showcase their national pride?

I believe Kuhn will not be able to boost the morale of Switzerland. I believe we will not qualify, this game was more important than it seems. I believe that if Frei doesn’t come back the team will fall apart, thinking that they do not reap what they sow. The game should have taken a different turn, I was literally rejoiced when Hakan Yaking entered the field because he was the one player who could give us the win. He did change the game but he couldn’t fight against greater powers than the ones harnessed by his foot and his brain.

Thus when Sverkos akwardly slotted home the only shot in the desert of the Czechs’ offensive tactics a hushed fear and dread fell upon the stadium and the entire country. We were brought back down to Earth and we realised how Switzerland’s time hasn’t come yet, perhaps.

I don’t want to waste too much time on the two penalty calls, although I consider the first one a genuine and crystal-clear penalty, what angered me were the yellow cards. A referee is a human in the same way as a player and the terrible emotional state of the Swiss players had to be understood. Especially since Switzerland lost its main player due to a tackle that could have deserved more than a simple foul. They say Rosetti is world-class here in Italy, I think he is terribly down-to-earth (nichts besonders, would I say).

The Czech Republic played in a way one would expect them to play and can count on the solidity of their defence, which I deeply admire although I believe that Muller and Senderos were exceptional, but their tactics will not see them through the group.

For what concerns Switzerland I was quite disappointed by Gelson Fernandes and expectedly by Streller. I believe Derdiyok should have taken Streller’s place right at the beginning of the first half and Hakan Yakin should have started the game, perhaps the first half wouldn’t have been so boring.

Thumbs Up for Benaglio (what a confident player he is!), Muller (there should be a standing ovation for this player), Senderos (Anfield is in the past), Inler (what skills does this young one possess), Lichtsteiner (MVP for Switzerland) and Magnin (what a game on both defensive and offensive positions).

To conclude this lengthy and emotional post I believe that from now onwards it will either be a dark night for Switzerland or the seeds for a miraculous and unexpected rebirth.

Next stop: Turkey, what a meaningful coincidence, we play the decisive game against the team that possibly hates us the most.

Please Kuhn and Frei, wipe away those tears and give us fans some hope because the fall was way too painful.

Switzerland - Czech Republic 0-1 (0-0) 70th Sverkos

Switzerland: Benaglio; Lichtsteiner (75th Vonlanthen), Mueller, Senderos, Magnin; Behrami (83rd Derdiyok), Inler, Gelson, Barnetta; Frei (46th Yakin), Streller.

Czech Republic: Cech; Grygera, Ujfalusi, Rozehnal, Jankulovski; Polak, Galasek; Sionko (83rd Vlcek), Jarolim (87th Kovac), Plasil; Koller (57th Sverkos).