"Mega, madness, it's unbelievable," is how Swiss goalkeeper Lea Schüpbach, who was named best player of the match, described her feelings after the historic progression to the main round of the European Championship.
A draw would have been enough for the Swiss to progress in the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, but they managed to defeat the Croatians for the first time in their seventh encounter, 26:22. Lea Schüpbach was most proud of the team's reaction after the Croatians had closed the gap from 7:16 (28') to 15:17 (40'). "We kept our cool and played our game," said the 27-year-old in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency. "Respect to everyone who stood on the pitch and kept their cool."
This is all the more surprising given the team's youth. "It's the mix and we get the confidence of the coach," explained Schüpbach, who suffered a cruciate ligament rupture in November 2023. "We have a few young, cheeky players who have confidence in themselves. Everyone gives it their all, regardless of whether they make mistakes or not. That gives everyone confidence and the feeling that things will turn out well, no matter what happens."
Captain Kerstin Kündig singled out 17-year-old Era Baumann, who replaced the ill Alessia Riner on the left wing and scored six goals. "She did a fantastic job. That's what sets us apart at the moment, that anyone can be a match-winner," said Kündig. Meanwhile, they have the necessary width and composure. What's more, the core of the team has been together for a long time.
The Swiss will not have much time to recover. After a day's travel to Vienna on Wednesday, they will play Germany on Thursday at 3.30 pm. It is also a special match because five Swiss players earn their money in the neighboring country to the north. One of them is Schüpbach, who said that "now we can only win". The other opponents in the main round are Slovenia (Saturday), the Netherlands (Monday) and Olympic champions Norway (Wednesday). For Kündig, these are "bonus games that we have to enjoy."
SDA
