Switzerland made the perfect start to their Euro 2024 campaign with a 3-1 win over Hungary in Cologne on Saturday afternoon.
It took just 13 minutes for surprise No.9 pick Kwadwo Duah to open the scoring for Switzerland, showing great composure to break the offside trap and finish beyond Peter Gulacsi in his first-ever start at international level.
Things got even better for Switzerland just before half-time as Michel Aebischer curled a wonderful effort into the far corner after great work from Granit Xhaka, who was the driving force for Switzerland all afternoon.
Hungary looked much improved after the break and pulled a goal back in the 66th minute as Barnabas Varga headed home a Dominik Szoboszlai cross to the far post.
But Marco Rossi’s men couldn’t find an equaliser and were picked off by substitute Breel Embolo late on following a mistake from Willi Orban.
Switzerland open with a win??#EURO2024 | #HUNSUI pic.twitter.com/oZQsOH1u6a
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 15, 2024
Here are the full player ratings from Cologne.
Hungary vs Switzerland player ratings
Hungary
Peter Gulacsi – 7/10 – Made some important saves to keep Hungary in the game, including twice denying Ruben Vargas in one-on-one situations.
Adam Lang – 5/10 – Wasn’t particularly worse than any other Hungarian defender but was the man hooked as Marco Rossi changed shape at half-time.
Willi Orban – 3/10 – Spent most of the game being Hungary’s most composed defender, only to head the ball straight to Embolo, who settled the game and sealed the points for Switzerland.
Attila Szalai – 5/10 – Battled hard but struggled to get his positioning right. Kept Duah onside for the opening goal.
Attila Fiola – 5/10 – Sloppy with the ball at times, though he kept working hard.
Adam Nagy – 6/10 – Got through some defensive work but never quite got to grips with the game on the ball.
Andras Schafer – 7/10 – Far cleaner with the ball than most of his teammates, posting a 100% completion rate for passes and crosses.
Milos Kerkez – 7/10 – Recovered from a couple of early errors to provide great width and thrust down the left for Hungary, but unfortunately tired as the game wore on.
Roland Sallai – 8/10 – Came to life in the second half with some tricky runs and dangerous crosses. Always looked to take the ball forward and get his side up the pitch.
Dominik Szoboszlai – 7/10 – Looked completely unfit at times, but still showed flashes of the brilliance that attracted Liverpool to him last summer. Including the excellent cross to the far post for Varga’s goal.
Barnabas Varga – 7/10 – Was almost completely absent in the first half but returned from the break a changed man. Gave Switzerland’s defenders hell with his physicality and intensity, and deserved his goal when it came.
Substitutes:
Bendeguz Bolla (46′, for Lang) – 6/10 – Provided a decent change of pace for Hungary down their right flank.
Laszlo Kleinheisler (67′, for Nagy) – 6/10 – Positive on the ball but unable to provide a defining touch.
Martin Adam (79′, for Szalai) – 4/10 – Brought on for his physical presence but barely worried the Swiss defence.
Marton Dardai (79′, for Kerkez) – 6/10 – Made a couple of important tackles and blocks as the game became stretched.
Switzerland
Yann Sommer – 7/10 – Had to stay alert as Hungary grew into the game and made a few important claims from dangerous crosses.
Fabian Schar – 7/10 – One of the most offensively dangerous centre-backs in the game and never needed a second invitation to drive forward with the ball.
Manuel Akanji – 7/10 – As clean on the ball as you’d expect from a Manchester City centre-back and stood up well to Hungarian pressure.
Ricardo Rodriguez – 7/10 – Provided a great outlet on the left of the back three for Switzerland and supplied an attacking threat in combination with Aebischer. Used his experience well in defence, too.
Silvan Widmer – 5/10 – Struggled to match some of the slick play displayed by his teammates. Came off with a 0% success rate on dribbles, crosses and long passes.
Granit Xhaka – 9/10 – Remember when Granit Xhaka was pigeonholed as a midfield destroyer during his Arsenal days? It’s become very clear with Bayer Leverkusen that he’s always been far more than that and he proved it here with a majestic display. Created four chances and completed 90% of his passes, completely running the game at times.
Remo Freuler – 7/10 – Worked hard in midfield but had to be withdrawn late on after picking up a yellow card.
Dan Ndoye – 7/10 – A busy and exciting performance, even if he lacked a little composure in key moments.
Michel Aebischer – 8/10 – Was well on his way to a Man of the Match performance with an excellent through-ball assist for the opener and an even better finish for Switzerland’s second. Only marked down for letting Varga get away from him on Hungary’s goal.
Ruben Vargas – 6/10 – A constant threat with his pace behind the Hungarian defence, but should have scored twice with his two efforts combing for 0.58 xG.
Kwadwo Duah – 8/10 – Scored his first international goal just 13 minutes into his first-ever start. Looked dangerous throughout most of the 68 minutes he was on the field but ran out of steam shortly before being subbed.
Substitutes:
Leonidas Stergiou (68′, for Widmer) – 5/10 – Looked nervous, completing just one of his four attempted passes.
Zeki Amdouni (68′, for Duah) – 6/10 – Had a couple of dangerous moments and kept the Hungarian defence busy.
Breel Embolo (74′, for Vargas) – 8/10 – Changed the game with his pace and took his goal brilliantly to decide the game, despite losing his knee strapping in the process. Some way to announce your international return having not played for Switzerland since the 2022 World Cup.
Fabian Rieder (86′, for Ndoye) – 6/10 – Showed composure to help see the game out.
Vincent Sierro (86′, for Freuler) – 5/10 – Didn’t get into the game.
