Sad and proud at the same time Yakin: "We missed a great opportunity"

For the Swiss national team, the quarter-finals are the end of the line at the European Championships. At the media conference the day after losing the penalty shoot-out against England, coach Murat Yakin spoke of a missed opportunity, but national team director Pierluigi Tami was nevertheless proud of the Swiss team's performance.

The Swiss national team's European Championship adventure in Germany comes to an end with a final press conference. Murat Yakin, national team boss Pierluigi Tami and SFA President Dominique Blanc were disappointed, but in the end they were proud of what they had achieved.

"It hurts, we were so close. On the other hand, we are also proud. It's a pleasure to watch our team. You can see it in the fans too. Their support was fantastic," says Tami. Yakin is also satisfied with his team's performance. The national team coach replied to an English reporter: "I'm very happy and proud of the way we performed."

Nevertheless, the national team coach is also disappointed that they have now been eliminated despite a good performance: "We missed a great opportunity. The chance was there. All it took was a little carelessness," said Yakin. "I'm sorry for the players and the fans. In the end it goes to the penalty shoot-out and there's not much you can do about that. I think we did a lot of things right."

Yakin's contract expires - what next?

The question remains as to what happens next. Yakin's contract expires after the European Championship. But the signals for a continued collaboration are positive. "For me, the national team has priority, there are no talks with other clubs or associations," says Yakin. He had long since signaled to the Swiss Football Association that he could well imagine remaining coach of the national team. "We will sit down together in the next few days," says Tami. Everything should be clear by the end of next week.

Xhaka hopes to stay onYakin's contract expires - what next for the national team coach?

But what if a top club intervenes and Yakin does not want to extend his contract after all? Then Yakin's successor, co-trainer Giorgio Contini, could already be in place. Right? Tami: "We are very happy with Murat and Giorgio. Our plan A is for Yakin and Contini to continue working together."

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The press conference is over

That's it! That's the end of the national team's European Championship adventure in Germany. Now comes the return journey to Switzerland, where the national team is expected in Zurich at 5.00 pm.

Contini as a B solution if Yakin leaves?

What if no agreement is reached after the talks with Yakin? Will Giorgio Contini then become the head coach? Tami: "We are very happy with Murat and also Giorgio. I think our plan A is that Yakin and Contini will continue to work together. As I said, that will be discussed in the next few days."

Yakin on his starting eleven decision

Yakin: "We played well against Germany and Italy. There was no reason to change. The boys did very well. There are players for the starting eleven and there are players who are ready for 60, 70 minutes. We knew that Shaqiri and Amdouni could bring us a lot again, also with the standards and penalties. That was all planned."

Yakin on the penalty shoot-out

Switzerland have lost five of their last six penalty shoot-outs. What are the reasons? Yakin: "We were very well prepared and knew about their shooters. But you can't prepare yourself mentally. A penalty shoot-out is a matter of nerves, you can't plan for that."

Tami: "We took four penalties yesterday and converted three. Only Akanji missed. Three years ago, we missed three penalties in the quarter-finals, so we've already made some progress."

How is Yakin looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup?

Yakin: "We're Swiss, we're taking it step by step. Two years are still a long way off. We've played well, but the other teams also have top players. We have to remain Swiss, but our goal is certainly to win something at some point. Whether that will work out is another question."

Yakin on how he felt in the dressing room after the defeat

Yakin: "Of course we were sad. But we played well and that makes me happy. The way the team has worked in recent weeks. We had a great chance of reaching the semi-finals or even the final. I'm very happy and proud of how we performed."

What else could prevent Yakin from staying?

Yakin: "It's like in football. On paper, it's a line-up and you have to be flexible. For me, it's about trust. The feeling and intuition is that we have touched the fans. That's the crucial thing for me. A piece of paper is only valuable to me if the collaboration is right and the feeling is there. We'll see how the talks go. If things continue, then certainly also with assistant coach Giorgio Contini."

Tami: "We'll sit down together in the next few days. The idea is that everything will be settled by the end of next week."

Yakin on his expiring contract

Yakin: "I was given the opportunity to work as a national team coach three years ago. I gladly accepted the challenge and achieved all my goals. Now the contract is coming to an end, but I have always acted according to my feelings. For me, the national team has priority, there are no talks with other clubs or associations. Now there will be talks, I've been signaling for a long time that I would be willing to stay."

Yakin: "We have done a lot of things right"

Yakin: "We missed a great opportunity. The chance was there. A little carelessness was enough. We saw that everyone sacrificed themselves. The solidarity was there, also from the fans. I'm sorry for the players and the fans. The decisions were the right ones. We had the right plan and the right choice of players. We saw yesterday that we were outstanding everywhere. In the end it goes to the penalty shoot-out and there's not much you can do about that. I think we did a lot of things right."

Tami: "We were so close"

Tami: "It hurts. We were so close. On the other hand, we're also proud. It's a pleasure to watch our team. You can also see it in the fans. Their support was fantastic. I think that was also because of the national team's performance. We showed modern football and played superbly. Yesterday was our fifth game in 20 days. But we were ready, in our heads and in our feet. We remained unbeaten - even including the test matches before the European Championship."

Blanc: "We are sad and proud"

SFA President Dominique Blanc begins: "We are sad and proud. A penalty shoot-out is always a lottery. But we can be proud of what the national team has achieved. The team around captain Granit Xhaka, coach Murat Yakin and his staff as well as Pierluigi Tami have achieved great things. A big thank you to the whole delegation. You have represented the colors of Swiss football brilliantly."

Here we go

Yakin, Tami and SFA boss Blanc are there to answer the journalists' questions.

The Nati scores on the penalty drama against England

Bitter! Our European Championship dream ends in a penalty shoot-out against England. Chief defender Akanji becomes a tragic figure. Yet he was one of the best in the 120 minutes beforehand. Here are the Nati scores.

Our best player becomes a tragic figureThese are the Nati grades for the penalty drama against England

"Simply respect and pride for this team"

The assessment of blue Sport editor-in-chief Andreas Böni after Switzerland's European Championship exit.

Hello ...

and welcome to the Swiss national team's press conference the day after their bitter elimination from the European Championship. On Saturday, Switzerland only lost to England on penalties. National team boss Pierluigi Tami and coach Murat Yakin will be available to answer questions from the media. The press conference is due to start at 12.00 noon.

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