England beware - are Switzerland dark horses of Euros?

England still person to get past Slovakia to group up a Euro 2024 quarter-final pinch Switzerland but, connected this evidence, their broadside of nan tie is thing but easy.

The Swiss were second-favourites erstwhile they lined up against holders Italy successful Berlin connected Saturday but proceeded to give their neighbours a footballing lesson successful pressing strength and organisation.

As good arsenic energy, location was tons of value connected show from Murat Yakin’s side. Granit Xhaka and Remo Freuler were their driving unit successful midfield and Ruben Vargas, who claimed a extremity and an assist, was inventive and decisive down nan left.

On apical of those stellar individual performances, it was their wide squad show that had nan pundits purring and they looked a measurement aliases 2 supra thing England person faced successful Germany truthful far.

"They were miles amended than Italy," erstwhile England skipper Alan Shearer said connected BBC One. "Switzerland wholly dominated that game.

"They were perfectly fantastic. They looked really fresh and scored 2 awesome goals, and they merit their quarter-final spot."

We will person to hold to find retired whether nan Swiss will play Gareth Southgate’s broadside successful nan past eight, but we saw present that they were acold superior to nan defending champions.

While it is existent that Italy put up small guidance and showed fewer signs of mounting a fightback, Switzerland merit in installments for nan measurement they built their lead and past comfortably saw nan crippled out.

"The assurance and belief successful that Swiss squad was magnificent,” added erstwhile Scotland winger Pat Nevin connected Radio 5 live.

"They played retired from nan backmost against a squad which was incapable of closing down - Italy did not look fresh enough.

"Vargas was really typical and I felt sorry for [Italy correct wing-back] Giovanni di Lorenzo. He was having a horrible time."

This was Switzerland’s first triumph complete Italy since 1993 and nan first clip they person won a knockout crippled astatine a awesome tourney without needing penalties since nan 1938 World Cup.

They had already threatened a daze successful Germany erstwhile they came adjacent to beating nan hosts successful their last group game, and were only denied triumph by a 92nd-minute goal.

This time, location was thing to spoil nan statement that nan Swiss players had pinch their supporters wrong nan Olympiastadion astatine nan last whistle.

"We saw nan fans afterwards and besides successful our erstwhile 3 matches and it really sends a shiver down your spine," Yakin said. "It is hugely gratifying.

"All this support shows we are connected nan correct way and we are doing things nan correct way. We are successful a position we person earned but we are not done yet.

"We sent retired an important awesome successful position of nan crippled we played. We didn’t only nine together and take sides arsenic a portion and beryllium back, successful truth we showed that we could onslaught and predominate successful each area of nan pitch."

Yakin faced questions astir really he would hole if England do move retired to beryllium Switzerland's adjacent opponents, but said he was not reasoning astir that yet.

"If it is England, past 1 measurement astatine a clip and we will hole for that, and we will person nan chance [to play] against them - but nan aforesaid goes for Slovakia," he explained.

"We are focused connected ourselves, we don’t want to beryllium distracted by our opponents."

He was besides asked if, for illustration Austria, his broadside tin beryllium nan tournament's astonishment package and should beryllium considered acheronian horses successful nan games to come.

"So overmuch tin still happen," he said. "It’s nan knockout stage, each crippled has its ain story, each lucifer is decisive, but we person nan correct style and we person nan correct gameplan and we are a bully team, we showed that again here.

"But we still request to support our feet connected nan ground. We request to make judge that we are humble successful our approach, because that has underpinned really we person conducted ourselves truthful far."