Wales Qualify As Swiss Made to Wait
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Established 1961 Sport MONDAY, JUNE 21, 2021 Wales qualify as Swiss made to wait ROME/BAKU: Matteo Pessina scored as Italy a Verratti free-kick leaving Ward with no chance. It made it three wins out of three at Euro 2020 by was the first goal for Italy in a major competition for beating 10-man Wales 1-0 to finish top of Group A the Atalanta player who had been called up as a late yesterday with both teams advancing to the last 16. addition after Stefano Sensi’s injury. Pessina’s goal means Italy will play the runner-up Francesco Acerbi replaced Leonardo Bonucci at from Group C in the next round, with Wales facing half-time with an eye towards the knockout rounds. the team that comes second in Group B. Bernadeschi missed a chance for a second after the In his 35th game in charge of the Azzurri who break with a free-kick from distance hitting the failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, Roberto post. And Wales’ task got even more difficult when Mancini’s side also matched an 80-year Italian Ampadu was sent off 10 minutes after the break for record. Italy extended their unbeaten run to 30 a late challenge which caught Bernadeschi’s ankle. games - 25 wins and five draws - a feat last Cardiff City striker Moore came off the bench achieved under two-time World Cup winning coach after an hour in place of Joe Morrell with Bale Vittorio Pozzo between 1935 and 1939. reverting back to midfield. Bale missed a golden It was also an 11th consecutive win with a clean chance to level after 75 minutes with Moore cross- sheet for Italy who had already booked their ticket ing for the unmarked skipper who volleyed over. to the knockout rounds with a game to spare. Italy Meanwhile, Xherdan Shaqiri scored twice as will play Ukraine or Austria at Wembley on June 26 Switzerland beat Turkey 3-1 in Baku yesterday, but for a spot in the quarterfinals. Wales, semi-finalists they will have to wait to see if they reach the last 16 in 2016, suffered in a game they played a man down of Euro 2020 as one of the four best third-placed for most of the second half after Ethan Ampadu was teams. Wales held on to second place in Group A sent off for a foul on Federico Bernardeschi. thanks to a superior goal difference after their 1-0 Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale, Wales’ all-time lead- loss to Italy. ing scorer with 33 international goals, could not add Shaqiri’s goals came after Haris Seferovic’s first- to his tally missing a chance for the equaliser in the half opener and either side of Irfan Kahveci scoring final quarter of an hour. Wales coach Robert Page Turkey’s only goal of the tournament. Switzerland made three changes to his starting line-up, Ben coach Vladimir Petkovic made two changes from Davies, Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore dropping Wednesday’s heavy loss to Italy, including giving ROME: Italy’s defender Alessandro Bastoni vies for a header with Wales’ forward Gareth Bale during a UEFA to the bench with the trio one booking away from Steven Zuber his first start of the championship. Euro 2020 Group A football match at the Olympic Stadium yesterday. — AFP suspension. Turkey boss Senol Gunes brought centre-back Mancini also brought in fresh players for their Merih Demiral back after dropping the Juventus curled a sublime effort past a helpless Cakir. Shaqiri outside the area before firing a left-footed strike final group game with eight changes, and a three- defender last time out, with his side looking to avoid should have doubled his account for the match less into the top corner for his first international goal. man frontline with Federico Chiesa, Andrea Belotti a third straight competitive defeat for the first time than two minutes later when a bursting run put the But Switzerland restored their two-goal lead six and Federico Bernardeschi. Paris Saint-Germain’s since Euro 1996. Switzerland opened the scoring in Liverpool midfielder clear with just the goalkeeper minutes later as Shaqiri claimed his second. Marco Verratti proved decisive on his return from the sixth minute, silencing the 17,000 crowd sup- to beat, but Cakir saved with his foot. The 29-year-old, who scored just once in 22 club injury after a six-week layoff. Belotti threatened porting Turkey due to close historical and diplomat- appearances this season, netted again from another after 12 minutes but Wales goalkeeper Danny Ward ic ties between Ankara and Baku. Zuber on-form Zuber assist following a quick counter-attack. With held firm with Emerson Palmieri then missing a Seferovic buried a low effort past Turkish goal- Just after the half-hour mark, left-back Mert 20 minutes to play, Switzerland still needed a two- chance from a distance. keeper Ugurcan Cakir for his 22nd international Muldur tested goalkeeper Yann Sommer with a shot goal swing to move above Wales into second place. Rafael Toloi fired another which took a deflection goal, after Zuber’s dummy. Zuber was involved again from outside the area but the 32-year-old, who Petkovic added fresh legs to his attack by replac- off his Atalanta teammate Pessina, into the arms of for the second 20 minutes later, as Seferovic held became a father for a second time earlier this week, ing goal-scorers Shaqiri and Seferovic with Ruben Ward, while Chiesa missed an opportunity to latch up possession and his pass deflected to the parried away. Switzerland’s advantage was halved Vargas and Mario Gavranovic. But Switzerland on a Belotti shot across goal. But Pessina broke Eintracht Frankfurt winger’s feet. on the hour mark to send the crowd wild. failed to find the required goals and their fate is in through six minutes before half-time with a flick off The former Hoffenheim man then fed Shaqiri who Hakan Calhanoglu fed Kahveci who shimmied the hands of other sides’ results. — AFP .