Ripped shirts, a punctured ball and no goals
LILLE, FRANCE — There were several ripped shirts and even a burst soccer ball during France’s 0-0 draw with Switzerland on Sunday at the European Championship.
The scoreless result was good enough for both teams, with the host French taking first place in Group A and the Swiss moving on to the round of 16 in second place.
France twice hit the crossbar as it again squandered numerous chances, but the torn Switzerland shirts and the ball being ripped apart during a challenge will likely end up being the most memorable moments of the match at Stade Pierre Mauroy.
“It means there was a lot of fight on the pitch,” Switzerland goalkeeper Yann Sommer said. “For us and for the country it’s important to be in the last 16.”
Switzerland midfielder Admir Mehmedi’s shirt was torn in the first half, forcing him to the sidelines for a backup. Teammate Granit Xhaka then had his ripped once in each half, and teen striker Breel Embolo also slightly tore the back of his in the first half.
“If a shirt is pulled, they can come apart,” Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic said. “There were four (ripped) tonight. When you pull shirts they do actually break.”
France coach Deschamps preferred to turn his attention to the rough state of the pitch, which cut up in places.
“It was better than the pitch we saw at Marseille (against Albania) but it’s annoying,” he said. “I don’t know who is responsible, but we are only in the group stage of the competition and having such a pitch is not a good thing.”
Then there was an issue with the official Adidas “Beau Jeu” ball.
As France pushed for a goal in the second half, forward Antoine Griezmann was dribbling when Switzerland midfielder Valon Behrami stepped in to tackle. The two converged on the ball and it burst, with Behrami picking up the deflated leather and showing it to Slovenian referee Damir Skomina.
Even with a new ball to strike, France’s shots lacked conviction, and Griezmann held his head in his hands when he placed his strike too close to Sommer after swapping passes with striker Andre-Pierre Gignac and bursting into the area. There was a hint of bad luck, too. Paul Pogba hit the crossbar in the first half with a swerving shot from 25 metres and substitute Dimitri Payet did the same in the 75th minute with a superb volley following a surging run down the right and cross to the back post from midfielder Moussa Sissoko.
Pogba also went close twice early in the first half, drawing smart saves from Sommer.
“Paul really was the driving force during the first half,” Deschamps said. “He was the heart and soul.”
The Swiss threatened mainly on the break, using the 19-year-old Embolo’s pace, but France looked more likely to score as Payet shot just wide from outside the penalty area late on.
In the other Group A match, Albania beat Romania 1-0 and finished in third place with three points.
Thanks to Pogba, it seemed like France’s midfield dominance might make the difference in the first half, but good situations were wasted.
Shortly after France centre half Laurent Koscielny failed to direct his header on target following a flurry of corners, the defender then had to block Embolo’s slanting shot in the 30th minute following a rare Swiss foray.
France’s main threat in the second half was Sissoko, who made another powerful run and then fed the ball to Gignac, whose 53rd-minute shot was easily saved by Sommer. He had also scuffed a first-half chance after Griezmann had set him up near the penalty spot.
French fans chanted for Payet.