The Swiss national team inspired the whole of Switzerland at the European Championships. In the end, the only thing missing to secure a historic semi-final spot was the penalty shoot-out against England. Here are the tournament grades of our Nati stars.
Goal
Yann Sommer
Played in all European Championship games. Only really distinguished himself once in the whole tournament. On the long-range shot from England star Declan Rice in the quarter-finals. Other than that? He only had to save a total of 9 balls. You can't blame him for the four goals he conceded. He had no chance against the English in the penalty shoot-out.
Defense
Manuel Akanji
The absolute boss in defense. Quick, wide awake and unbelievably composed, makes mega-stars like Kane, Havertz & Co. desperate. 37 ball recoveries, great at breaking up play. The best Swiss player at this European Championship, earning top marks from blue Sport in all 5 games. However, he became a tragic figure at the end when he was the only player to fail in the penalty shoot-out against England. Can happen to anyone, including him.
Defense
Fabian Schär
Preferred to Nico Elvedi and repays Yakin's trust for the most part. Started strongly against Hungary, then had an unfortunate evening against Scotland. He defeats his own goalkeeper Sommer with a botched clearance - to make matters worse, he suffers a broken nose. Still plays against Germany. Lucky that his shot against Italy only hit his own post. Strong going forward, defensively the weakest of the strong three-man defense.
Defense
Ricardo Rodriguez
The Swiss World Cup and European Championship record holder (26 appearances in total) had a great tournament. A sure value in the back three. Rodriguez anticipates excellently and is usually already where the ball and opponent want to be. "Rici is like a Swiss army knife", says expert Peter Knäbel, "he has a solution for everything". Now the left-footer (most recently captain of Torino) is without a club and available for free.
Midfield
Silvan Widmer
Started the tournament at right-back. Defensively solid, but less attacking than before. Doesn't make many crosses. He sees yellow three times in four games. After serving his ban against Italy, he loses his place to Ndoye against England.
Midfield
Remo Freuler
The "Duracell bunny" of the Nati, wrote blue Sport after the England game. Freuler is on the move non-stop, plugging the holes in midfield. He is the perfect complement to director Xhaka. And he also provides highlights such as his 1:0 against Italy. In the round of 16 against the Italians, the long-serving Serie A player put in a brilliant performance anyway (blue grade 6).
Midfield
Granit Xhaka
Only against the Scots is he not decisive because he is guarded at every turn by McTominay. In all other European Championship games? Absolutely world class. The captain is the boss, the conductor. Even a torn muscle fiber in his adductors can't stop him. "I felt that the team needed me." Xhaka has delivered, the best final round to date for our record international player (130 games). Very strong.
Midfield
Steven Zuber
Was the big test match winner shortly before the European Championship after a long absence from the national team. However, started the tournament with an injury and did not make the starting line-up. Two partial appearances against Italy and England. Both times, the veteran gets into the game well, repeatedly making himself available and demanding the ball. However, the assist king of the last European Championship failed to score in Germany.
Midfield
Michel Aebischer
Alongside Duah, Aebischer is one of Yakin's tactical masterpieces in the first game against Hungary. Normally playing in the center, he started on the left in defence and became the match-winner: assist and goal for 2:0. When the national team dictated the pace and had possession of the ball, he was a great asset with his ball security. In defensive work, however, he has weaknesses in his unfamiliar position. This is particularly evident in duels with England rocket Saka, who runs away from him at the back on more than one occasion. Only against England is he inadequate.
Midfield
Dan Ndoye
The great discovery of the tournament. We already knew that he had enormous potential when he was still playing for Lausanne five years ago. Powerful and extremely quick. He also brings his enormous qualities to the pitch in Germany. The Bologna mercenary is the big discovery of the tournament. He will have to play more defensively from the knockout matches onwards due to Widmer's suspension. He is decent defensively, but he certainly has his qualities in forward play. Ndoye has sprinted onto the lists of top clubs in Germany. If he becomes even more efficient, there are hardly any limits for him.
Attack
Xherdan Shaqiri
The magical dwarf certainly had a very different idea of this European Championship. He no longer plays a leading role. The 32-year-old is only in the starting line-up against Scotland. He will make a brief appearance against England. Nevertheless, the left-footed striker made his mark: first his dream goal against the Scots, then his direct corner kick to the crossbar and a confidently taken penalty against England. Shaqiri has scored at least one goal at every final since the 2014 World Cup - no one else has managed that.
Attack
Fabian Rieder
Called up as a surprise for the pre-camp, he even makes it into the 26-man squad. At the tournament, the shaky candidate even became a regular. His performance against Italy? Simply sensational. Rieder is not afraid of the big stage and the big names. He gets into tackles with a lot of snottiness. He even signed for German runners-up Stuttgart during the European Championships. Next season, the former YB jewel will be playing in the Champions League again. His performances at the European Championships are already top class.
Attack
Ruben Vargas
His highlight is the round of 16 against Italy. Dream goal and assist for the 2:0, rightly voted man of the match by UEFA. The Augsburg winger becomes an overnight sensation. In the remaining games? Rather inconspicuous. Was also injured.
Attack
Breel Embolo
He missed almost the entire season through injury. Nevertheless, Yakin has kept a place in the squad open for him. Worked hard for his comeback and was rewarded. Scored as a joker against Hungary and started in the Germany game. Acted as a bruiser in the center of the attack, tucking in and distributing and making us dream of the semi-finals with his goal against England. All in all, a great comeback after a long injury break.
Attack
Kwadwo Duah
Nobody had him on their radar and then he gets to start against Hungary in the European Championship opener. The 27-year-old striker from Ludogorets Razgrad in Bulgaria then scored our first European Championship goal. Strong on the move, nimble. Then two more partial appearances against Germany and Italy. Certainly a big winner in Germany.
Attack
Zeki Amdouni
He came off the bench as a substitute in four of the five games, against Italy he sat out all game. Didn't get enough playing time to show his skills, one or two good actions in a total of 53 minutes, nothing more. In the penalty shoot-out against England, he scored coolly.
Substitutes and reserves
Leonidas Stergiou (44), Vincent Sierro (34), Denis Zakaria (22) and Renato Steffen (1) played less than 45 minutes. Gregor Kobel, Yvon Mvogo, Nico Elvedi, Cédric Zesiger, Ardon Jashari and Noah Okafor did not play at all
