World no. 14 football country Switzerland were on the verge of securing a place in the Finals and becoming the 10th country to do so on Matchday 8 of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualification, but fortune did not side them until the very end of the game. The Swiss could not hold onto their small-margin lead of 1-0 and denied their UEFA Euro 2024 qualification via a late equaliser by Israel and a last-minute red card to 27-year-old right-back Edimilson Fernandes, meaning they will have to collect more point(s) in their two remaining matches if they wish to qualify for the next phase of this quadrennial competition next year.
Switzerland were couple of minutes away from qualifying to EURO 2024 tonight, but Israel stopped them with a late goal.
Switzerland will have new chance to qualify on Saturday when they host Kosovo.
Israel will have to defeat both Romania and Andorra to keep chances to qualify. pic.twitter.com/vVRhkasLBZ
— Football Rankings (@FootRankings) November 15, 2023
The Israel-Switzerland Euro 2024 Qualification Match Played at Neutral Soil, Xhaka Earned His 119th Cap
It is worth mentioning that the venue of this Matchday 8 fixture in Group I was at a neutral stadium in Pancho Aréna, Hungary to safeguard the security of managers, staff, players and fan from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Besides, this Israel-Switzerland clash saw 31-year-old Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka surpass Heinz Herman as the holder for most international appearances for his country at 119 caps.
The ex-FC Basel, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Arsenal man captained his nation to go up against Israel and found the lead in 36th minute, thanks to Rubén Vargas’s effort. The 25-year-old right winger had to thank right-back Edimilson Fernandes for his sixth goal in 38 appearances for his country. However, just when the Swiss thought they can book their flight tickets for Germany next year with a win in this Euro 2024 qualification game, Israel levelled things up with two minutes to go in the normal playing time, courtesy of Shon Weissman.
Further drama was observed in the final moments of the match, when Fernandes turned from hero to zero due to a clumsy challenge, but considering the time that the incident happened, Israel were not able to mount a comeback victory in the last seconds of the game. The 1-1 draw in this Euro 2024 qualification clash meant both Switzerland and Romania have 16 points each in Group I after eight matches, whereas Israel are four points behind the top two teams of the said group. These countries are set to complete their last two matches of the 2024 UEFA Euro Qualifiers by next midweek.
What Are the Teams That Have Qualified for the UEFA Euro 2024?
After eight Matchdays in the Euro 2024 qualification, only nine teams have secured their places for the Finals of the UEFA Euro 2024, namely hosts Germany, Austria, Belgium, England, France, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Turkey. The final two Matchdays of the 2024 UEFA Euro Qualifiers will have 15 remaining spots up for grabs, 12 via the qualifying phase and three via the playoffs.
Official Match Ball, FUSSBALLLIEBE, Revealed
As the Euro 2024 qualification coming to an end soon, the official match ball of the UEFA Euro 2024 Finals, the FUSSBALLLIEBE are officially launched now by main sponsor Adidas and UEFA. With the name directly translating “Love for Football” in English, the equipment is set to elevate the purest and simplest form of joy when playing the sports of football and it comes with technologies that can enhance players’ precision and control as well as better and quicker decision making in matches for referees. Read here to find out everything you need to know about the FUSSBALLLIEBE, including the design, colour and technology behind the match ball.
View this post on Instagram
