After their round-of-16 victory against Colombia, have reached the FIFA World Cup™ quarter-finals for the first time since 1954.
Their journey to date has been far from straightforward, however. After a tightly contested goalless tie after extra time, the Swiss gave it their all in the nerve-racking penalty shoot-out that ended 4-3 for the Nati and saw them progress to the next round.
Few players have been as relentless as captain Granit Xhaka, aged 33, who has finally led his team to the final eight after three consecutive exits after the round of 16. He told FIFA: “The 2014 World Cup was my first major tournament as a Switzerland player, and we’ve played in so many tournaments. Sometimes, luck just wasn’t on our side, and we were eliminated several times, including through penalty shoot-outs.”
“It is a privilege to captain this team and represent this country. It’s all the more special now that we’ve made this huge leap forward,” continued the defensive midfielder. The Swiss will now meet reigning champions Argentina in the quarter-finals. It will be far from an easy match, but the Swiss captain is confident ahead of the showdown with the mighty Messi and La Albiceleste.
“We know that we’re playing against one of the greatest football teams in history, or at least in our lifetime,” said Xhaka. “We have to enjoy it; it has to be a match that shows the world that a small nation like Switzerland can trouble a giant. For us, it’s about playing football – whether it takes 90 minutes, 120 minutes or a shoot-out. I am confident that we will be prepared.”
Argentina’s path to the quarter-finals has also been far from plain sailing, despite cruising through the group stage. They have only just made it out of their knockout-stage matches so far: they were pushed to their limits by a tenacious Cabo Verde team, and Egypt successfully disrupted La Albiceleste’s passing game for long stretches. Despite those very real scares, Messi and co. have secured a spot in the quarter-finals, but Switzerland are expected to deploy a similar strategy to the Blue Sharks and the Pharaohs by relying on a well-organised defence to destabilise the Argentinians.
“We have a solid team,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin told FIFA when asked about the upcoming clash against the South American powerhouses. “Defensively, we’re very solid. We’ve shown that in the last two matches, in which we’ve kept a clean sheet. We also know that we can trouble opponents in transition situations.”
Thanks to their disciplined defensive approach and goalkeeper Gregor Kobel’s excellent form, Switzerland have conceded only one goal so far in the tournament. Against Argentina, the Swiss game plan is likely to build on that solid defence and capitalise on counterattacking by exploiting the areas where Argentina has been struggling of late.
“We want to trouble them and create problems where they’re vulnerable, while playing to our strengths,” explained the 49-year-old coach, whose focus has been on building a collective team identity. “There’s only one way to beat Argentina and Messi and that’s by working as a team.”
Xhaka, whose leadership has been crucial to Swiss solidarity, has held the long-standing belief that the Nati is capable of great things. “He’s been talking about reaching the final for years,” Yakin revealed about the Switzerland captain. “Back then, he was the only one who contemplated it, the only one to have that vision. But I think that we now have several players who share both his quality and his vision.”
“He has an unbelievable presence and it’s very important,” added Yakin. “You can feel it. He’s a leader not only on the pitch, but also off it. You can feel his aura and how important he is to his team-mates.”
Xhaka embraces that responsibility and often acts like a second coach on the pitch, orchestrating the game and encouraging his team-mates. “I’ve taken responsibility since I was young,” Xhaka explained. “And now, I can bring that to the team. It’s not always easy – definitely not – because the pressure is enormous. But it’s a privilege to captain this team and represent this nation.”
What tone is Xhaka hoping to set for his team-mates before facing the Argentinians in a bid to reach Switzerland’s first-ever World Cup semi-finals? “It is also a privilege to play against Messi,” said the Sunderland player. “We want to give it our all and play a game we can look back on with pride, regardless of the result. We want to be able to say: we did everything to beat the Argentinians.”
If Switzerland prevail on Saturday night, they will reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time in their history. Their toughest challenge yet awaits them at the Kansas City Stadium where they will meet giants Argentina, but Xhaka and his team-mates are determined to take another historic step and deliver another tournament upset.
Sources: FIFA Official
