Just when it looked like Switzerland would leapfrog Germany into first place in Group A, supersub Niclas Füllkrug salvaged a point with a last-minute equaliser. Check out the best facts, stats and live Opta data with our Switzerland vs Germany stats page.
In football, you are never safe.
For 92 minutes, Switzerland played the perfect game. They defended compactly and resolutely, and after taking a first-half lead through Dan Ndoye, looked for all the world like they were going to upset the hosts and leapfrog them into the top spot in Group A.
Heck, they deserved to.
But then your opponent can whip a brilliant ball into the box to a big dude and his powerful header can ruin everything.
And so it was that Niclas Füllkrug rose highest in the box in injury time to save his side when they needed him most. It was his 13th goal for Germany, and his seventh as a substitute. What a weapon to be able to bring off the bench.
On the face of it, this game was one-way traffic. Germany dominated the ball – just as they have done in each of their matches so far. They enjoyed 66% possession and completed over double the number of passes as their opponents (571 to 262).
But this was uncomfortable possession, and those topline statistics don’t describe how aggressively and competently Switzerland defended.
Yes, with a back five they were compact and more than content to get men behind the ball, but they were forceful and tenacious out of possession.
Granit Xhaka stalked in midfield with trademark bite, Manuel Akanji was assured at the back and the front three nipped at German heels whenever they came close.
And that was the platform from which they sprung a counter for their first goal. Jamal Musiala, so often impossibly press-resistant, received the ball into his feet inside his own half and was immediately met by Xhaka crashing into the back of him to knock the ball loose.
It broke forward to Fabian Rieder, who played it down the line for Romo Freuler to cross in, where his Bologna teammate Nodye volleyed home into the roof of the net. The pair had never combined for a goal at club level, but they now had one against the hosts of the European Championship. Heady stuff.
In was Nodye’s first goal for his nation in what was his 14th appearance. Given the skill with which he finished, there’s not a chance it takes him another 14 games to score goal number two.
So, with what was their first touch in the box and first shot at goal, it was 1-0 to the Swiss. Game on.
Switzerland had waited 27 minutes for their first effort on goal, but their next came just two minutes later. It was Nodye again, latching onto a through ball before dragging a shot inches wide of the post.
Such was their aggression without the ball throughout the contest that Switzerland forced Germany to make 75% of their passes under pressure tonight. That figure was down at 65% vs Scotland and 59% against Hungary. The Swiss shape had Germany stuck. Even the effortless Toni Kroos finished the game with 92.5% passing accuracy. That doesn’t sound low, but he only averaged lower than that in one game for Real Madrid this past season.
In fairness, the Swiss rode their luck earlier in the half. Germany opened the scoring with two early goals in their first two games (10 minutes against Scotland, 22 against Hungary) and thought they’d done the same today after 17 minutes. Robert Andrich hit a fizzing, dipping strike that bounced over Yann Sommer’s dive. Fortunately for the Inter goalkeeper, it was ruled out for a foul in the build up by Musiala, as it was a shocking error.
Germany’s fluency never really clicked, and instead they had to rely on the individual brilliance of their stars. And when you have a team as talented as Germany, that is not always a bad Plan B.
First it was Florian Wirtz and Musiala combining in the middle, with the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder’s through ball slicing through the heart of the Swiss defence. Musiala could only strike straight at Sommer.
Then it was Wirtz again, twisting and turning down the right, creating a chance for Joshua Kimmich out of nothing. Only a lunging Akanji denied him a certain goal.
Lastly it was substitute David Raum, finding some space down the left and whipping in a perfect curling cross, for the game-changing Füllkrug to head home and save German face.
With one strike, the two teams swapped positions in the group. Germany finish top and meet the runners-up in Group C in the last 16.
Switzerland also play a runner-up in the last 16, one from Group B. Based on this performance, no one will want to face them.
Our Opta match centre delivers you all the Switzerland vs Germany stats from their Euro 2024 Group A clash in Frankfurt.
The match centre below includes team and player stats, expected goals data, passing networks, an Opta chalkboard and more. It gives you everything you need to do your own match analysis.
Underneath the match centre you can find the official Opta stats on the game as well.
Switzerland vs Germany: Post-Match Facts
- Having lost 16 of their 18 games against Germany between 1959 and 2008 (D2), Switzerland have since gone unbeaten in their last four against them (W1 D3), with no nation currently enjoying a longer unbeaten run against Germany (England & Spain both also ongoing runs of four).
- Niclas Füllkrug – who equalised with Germany’s 18th and final attempt of the game – has scored 13 goals in just 19 international appearances. Indeed, Füllkrug has scored four goals as a substitute at major international tournaments (Euros/World Cup all time), more than any other European player.
- There have been two goals scored at Euro 2024 where both the goalscorer and assist provider play for the same club side, with both combinations consisting of two Bologna players for Switzerland: Michel Aebischer/Remo Freuler vs Hungary on MD1 and Dan Ndoye/Remo Freuler vs Germany today.
- At 23y & 242d, Dan Ndoye – who scored his first ever international goal on his 14th cap – became Switzerland’s second youngest ever goalscorer at the European Championship behind only Johan Vonlanthen (18y 141d v France in 2004).
- Germany midfielder Toni Kroos completed 323 passes in the group stage at Euro 2024, the joint most on record (since 1980) by a player in the group stages at a single edition (Kroos also completed 323 passes in the group stage at Euro 2016).
- Germany became the first side to name the same starting XI for all three group stage matches at a single European Championship tournament since both Iceland and Spain did so in 2016.
- Manuel Neuer made his 18th appearance for Germany at the European Championship, overtaking Gianluigi Buffon (17) to become the goalkeeper with the most appearances in the tournament’s history.
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