Ratings for players and managers come from Euro 2024 at the end of the 16th stage

Italy’s defense as European champions ended with a 2-0 defeat by Switzerland in the Last 16 of Euro 2024.

The Azzurri finished second from start to finish at the Olympiastadion in Berlin and went home after just four games in the competition.

Switzerland’s status as one of the best dark horses of the summer remains intact and they will be keen to cause more skins after the team’s good performance on Saturday.

How the game happened

Switzerland started the game impressively and almost took the lead when Breel Embolo beat the Italian offside trap and was blocked by Michel Aebischer against Gianluigi Donnarumma, who did his best to deny the striker.

With 37 minutes left, Switzerland got the goal they deserved. Ruben Vargas’s through ball found Remo Freuler for a header in the 18-yard box, and his half-volley after taking his first touch in the air beat Donnarumma at close range.

On the stroke of half-time, Donnarumma pushed Fabian Rieder’s free-kick over the bar and into the back as Italy went into the break with only one goal scored.

But within 30 seconds of the restart, Switzerland doubled their lead. Vargas was able to find a yard of space to turn and shoot from just inside the 18-yard box, then headed into the top corner.

Italy needed something a little more to get back into the game, and they almost got their wish when Fabian Schar headed home the ball when under little pressure.

Another opening came when Mattia Zaccagni headed Gianluca Scamacca for a close-range shot, but his effort went wide. Replays suggested the goal would have been ruled out for offside regardless.

Only two minutes of stoppage time were added at the end of the second half as Italy were quickly put out of their misery and elimination was assured.

Switzerland will face either England or Slovakia in the quarter-finals.

GK: Yann Sommer – 6/10 – Passenger for the most part. He holds his own when he plays back.

CB: Fabian Schar – 7/10 – The odd title of his post is the only real downside to Schar’s excellent performance.

CB: Manuel Akanji – 8/10 – Completely shut down the Scamacca threat without doing much.

CB: Ricardo Rodriguez – 7/10 – He harkened back to his left-back days with both overlap and underrun runs into the final third, much to Italy’s confusion.

RM: Fabian Rieder – 7/10 – Combined well with Ndoye down the right flank, confusing Italy with his ability to attack inside and out.

CM: Remo Freuler – 8/10 – He got the ball rolling for a very well taken goal. The perfect partner for Xhaka.

CM: Granit Xhaka – 9/10 – One of the best midfielders in the world? You can make a compelling case right now. Another classy display from Xhaka, and the best player on the pitch who didn’t contribute directly to the goal.

LM: Michel Aebischer – 8/10 – Antonio Conte should have his eyes on the Swiss defenders because they were outstanding in this tournament. Aebischer acted as a playmaker coming in on the left.

RF: Dan Ndoye – 8/10 – One of the rising stars of Euro 2024 has added another fine performance to his tournament CV. He dragged Italy back and forth by running across the front line.

CF: Breel Embolo – 7/10 – A keen team runner. He should have opened the scoring with his chance early on, but he should have ended up with the winner anyway.

LF: Ruben Vargas – 9/10 – He is usually almost the man in international competitions, but this was his day. He came up with a brilliant assist before going on a screamer at the start of the second half.

What you are holding

SUB: Leaonidas Stergiou (72′ for Rieder) – 6/10

SUB: Steven Zuber (72′ for Vargas) – 6/10

SUB: Vincent Sierra (77′ for Ndoye) – 6/10

SUB: Kwadwo Duah (77′ for Embolo) – 6/10

SUB: Renato Steffen (90′ for Aebischer) – N/A

Subs used: Yvon Mvogo (GK), Gregor Kobel (GK), Nico Elvedi, Cedric Zesiger, Denis Zakaria, Ardon Jashari, Xherdan Shaqiri, Noah Okafor, Zeki Amdouni

The manager

Murat Yakin – 9/10 – The performance of his administrative work. Switzerland was strong in all areas. Yakin should feel proud tonight.

GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 6/10 – He made some great saves to keep the scoreline down but was betrayed by a terrible display from his team mates in blue.

RB: Giovanni Di Lorenzo – 2/10 – Vargas and Aebischer made their way with a brilliant defender from the first minute. He never recovered.

CB: Gianluca Mancini – 5/10 – Defended the box well in place of the suspended Riccardo Calafiori but Italy missed that extra penalty by playing back.

CB: Alessandro Bastoni – 5/10 – Likewise he got his head on the crossbar but Italy’s backline cracked under the pressure placed on the Swiss.

LB: Matteo Darmian – 3/10 – He looked all of his 34 years of age. Add to the blender is the powerful duo of Ndoye and Rieder.

CM: Bryan Cristante – 2/10 – Whether he was misplacing passes or making poor decisions on the ball, Cristante was an absolute liability.

CM: Nicolo Fagioli – 2/10 – His poor pass early in the second half led to Switzerland’s second goal.

CM: Nicolo Barella – 2/10 – He continued to score in the first half but that was no longer an excuse for his poor passing or under pressure.

RW: Federico Chiesa – 5/10 – He showed brief flashes of his unpredictability, but not often and not enough for the Swiss to panic.

CF: Gianluca Scamacca – 2/10 – Given absolutely no threat or presence despite being the tallest player on the pitch.

LW: Stephan El Shaarawy – 2/10 – It’s sad when he’s in charge, which was very unusual because he never showed it. He crashed to the ground before being taken off at half-time.

What you are holding

SUB: Mattia Zaccagni (46′ for El Shaarawy) – 5/10 – It brought a little more life into possession, but that mattered little as Italy struggled a bit for possession.

SUB: Mateo Retagui (64′ for Barella) – 5/10

SUB: Andrea Cambiasso (75′ for Darmian) – 5/10

SUB: Lorenzo Pellegrini (75′ for Cristante) – 5/10

SUB: Davide Frattesi (86′ for Fagioli) – N/A

Subs used: Guglielmo Vicario (GK), Alex Meret (GK), Alessandro Buongiorno, Federico Gatti, Raoul Bellanova, Federico Dimarco, Jorginho, Michael Folorunsho, Giacoma Raspadori

The manager

Luciano Spalletti – 1/10 – He made six changes in hopes of better performance. I found the exact opposite. The Italian investigation will not be kind to their boss.

Best player – Ruben Vargas (Switzerland)

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