Xherdan-Shaqiri-inspired Switzerland soar past Turkey to round off Group A

Sean Fisher
20 June 2021

In a must-win tie for both sides, it was Switzerland who claimed all three points thanks to Haris Seferovic's opener and a brace from Xherdan Shaqiri.

Goals from Xherdan Shaqiri and Haris Seferovic handed the Swiss a vital win over doomed "dark-horses" Turkey to increase their chances of making the last 16.

In what many anticipated to be a close affair, Switzerland wasted no time in stamping their authority on the tie, opening the scoring after just six minutes via Haris Seferovic's low-driven shot from outside the box to immediately close the gap on Wales.

Just 20 minutes later, Xherdan Shaqiri doubled the Swiss lead in spectacular fashion. After receiving the ball on the edge of the box, the Liverpool forward's right-footed effort left Turkish goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir hopeless.

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Turkey's loss means they bow out of the competition without winning a single point

Turkey came closest to scoring through Mert Mulder's weaving run following a rapid counterattack, but Yann Sommer saved his effort at the near post to cap off an impressive first-half performance and ensure Switzerland entered the break 2-0 up.

After a bright start to the second-half, Turkey managed to halve the deficit through Irfan Kahveci. Following some silky interplay around the Swiss box, Kahveci fired a fierce strike into the top corner of the net to re-inspire Turkey's hopes of qualification.

With Turkey pushing for an equaliser, Xherdan Shaqiri added his second of the game in the 68th minute, connecting well with a cross at the back post and rifling a first-time shot past Cakir to restore Switzerland's two-goal lead.

Defeat gives Turkey their third consecutive loss in the competition.

Read the full match report on our sister site, Football365.

Stat of the day

From OptaJoe - Xherdan Shaqiri is now Switzerland's top goalscorer at major tournaments (Euros & World Cup), his second goal today was his seventh for his country.

What's next for Switzerland and Turkey?

After failing to overtake Wales on goal difference, Switzerland finished third in the group with four points. Should they qualify for the round of 16 as one of the better third-placed teams, they will go on to face the winner of Group B, either Belgium, Russia or Finland.

As for Turkey, their loss tonight means they finished Euro 2020 with zero points and are subsequently knocked out of the tournament.