Granit Xhaka is so annoyed by the Danes' behavior before the 0:1 that he even sees yellow-red. Coach Murat Yakin stands in front of his captain and accuses his opponents of a lack of fair play. The Danes defend themselves.
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- The Swiss national team loses its Nations League opener against Denmark 2-0 after Nico Elvedi and Granit Xhaka are sent off.
- The anger after the final whistle is huge. On the one hand, the Nati stars are annoyed about the red card against Nico Elvedi, but on the other hand they accuse their opponents of a lack of fair play.
He has calmed down in recent years, says Granit Xhaka after the final whistle, "but I'm an emotional person, especially when it comes to injustice. Fair play is very important in sport - and what the Danes did today had nothing to do with respect. We played the ball out when one of them was on the ground. They don't do that and then the score is 0:1".
Murat Yakin is actually a cool guy. But even he is annoyed by the Danes' behavior before the first goal was conceded. "That was absolutely no fair play from the Danes."
Xhaka is so incensed that he takes the Danes to task after the goal and is shown a yellow card. Even minutes later he has not calmed down, the captain deliberately leaves his leg in a tackle. Yellow-red. "I know that this shouldn't happen," says Xhaka, "but unfortunately there are moments when you lose yourself. Sure, it's bitter. For me and the team".
Yakin stands in front of his captain. "For me, it's understandable that you can react like that. First the red card against Elvedi, which was completely incomprehensible, then the Danes' action. There were a lot of emotions there. It's just a shame that Xhaka will now be missing against Spain on Sunday."
Breel Embolo's anger is also palpable. "When I'm on the ground, we're down to nine players. Then I can't close the space and it becomes more difficult for my midfielders," the 27-year-old clarified. Even if it wasn't necessarily a foul on him, Embolo would have liked a different reaction from the Danes. "I'm not asking for a foul, but a bit of fair play. That's what we wanted."
What the Denmark coach says about the accusation
And what do the Danes actually say about the Swiss' accusation of unfairness? Coach Knudsen reacts coolly: "The rule is that you keep playing until the referee blows the whistle. We played to the limit, not beyond it."
