Small comfort for Swiss captain Magnin
June 16, 2008 at 8:17 pm | In Switzerland | Leave a CommentTags: Hakan Yakin, Kobi Kuhn, Ludovic Magnin, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Pascal Zuberbuhler, Stephane Grichting, Switzerland
UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts Switzerland left the tournament with heads held high after beating Group A winners Portugal in Basel last night to send off retiring coach Köbi Kuhn in style.
Belated win
Losses to the Czech Republic and Turkey had put the quarter-finals, and even third place in the pool, out of Swiss reach, but two unanswered Hakan Yakin goals at least secured the country’s first UEFA European Championship finals victory at the ninth attempt.
Swiss not comforted by heroic failure
June 16, 2008 at 4:27 pm | In Switzerland | 3 CommentsTags: basel, Hakan Yakin, Kobi Kuhn, Switzerland
Switzerland’s campaign may have ended on a high note with a 2-0 win against Portugal, but outgoing coach Köbi Kuhn and his men were left ruing their failure to get to the quarter-finals.
Small consolation
Two goals from Hakan Yakin in Basel earned Switzerland victory in their third and final Group A game – their first win at a UEFA European Championship – but was only small consolation after the 1-0 opening-game defeat against the Czech Republic and subsequent last-gasp loss to Turkey had condemned them to an early exit. “This win was one of the most beautiful moments in my career, even though it counted for nothing,” said Kuhn after the Portugal game, before adding: “It is painful to see that a point against Turkey would have been enough to make it to the quarter-finals. The team was capable of qualifying for the knockout games.”
Kuhn overcome as players say goodbye
June 16, 2008 at 8:10 am | In Portugal, Switzerland | Leave a CommentTags: coach, Kobi Kuhn, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Portugal, Switzerland
Köbi Kuhn was “touched” by the show of gratitude his players made when they unfurled a banner saying “Merci Köbi” after the 2-0 defeat of Portugal that signalled the end of his seven-year spell as Switzerland coach. His mood contrasted with that of counterpart Luiz Felipe Scolari who said he had “made a mistake” not replacing all eleven players in his side, rather than eight, for this Group A finale. Fernando Meira, Miguel, Paulo Ferreira and Jorge Ribeiro were all booked, leaving Scolari concerned about the impact that might have in the knockout phase.
Swiss say ‘great farewell’ to Kuhn
June 16, 2008 at 7:55 am | In Switzerland | Leave a CommentTags: Hakan Yakin, Kobi Kuhn, Switzerland
Hakan Yakin said there was “no better way to end” Switzerland’s campaign at UEFA EURO 2008™ after he ensured that outgoing coach Köbi Kuhn signed off with a victory by scoring both goals in the 2-0 defeat of Portugal.
Positive response
The BSC Young Boys forward opened the scoring in Basel with a close-range finish after 71 minutes before making sure of Switzerland’s first-ever win on the UEFA European Championship stage when he converted a penalty 12 minutes later. While his goals earned him the Carlsberg Man of the Match award, he was quick to commend his colleagues for their positive response here after the bitter disappointment of defeats against the Czech Republic and Turkey. “First of all I have to compliment the team because we played very well three times,” said the 31-year-old. “We lost twice unluckily but in the match tonight we showed we’ve kept our spirits up and we were comfortable 2-0 winners. It was a great farewell for Köbi Kuhn, our coach, and for the fans who stuck by us during the past week. There is no better way to end.”
Olsen praise
Denmark national coach Morten Olsen, who as a member of the UEFA Technical Team helped select Yakin for the Man of the Match award, praised Switzerland for their “fighting spirit” in claiming this consolatory win in Group A. “They played for the fantastic home fans,” he said. “They had been unlucky in two games and could have had a couple more points. They had had chances and today they used them – that was the difference. The Swiss performance was very good in the second half and there were a couple of candidates for Man of the Match but if you score two goals, that makes the difference. The first goal was a very good attack and a good finish by Yakin.”
Yakin goals send hosts out on high – Switzerland 2-0 Portugal
June 15, 2008 at 9:15 pm | In Switzerland | Leave a CommentTags: Portugal, Switzerland
Co-hosts Switzerland brought the curtain down on their UEFA EURO 2008™ campaign with a stirring performance at St. Jakob Park, signing off with a victory thanks to two second-half goals from Hakan Yakin.
Pride restored
Though it was not enough to take them off the bottom of Group A, the win restored pride in a side who had been left with little else to play for after opening the tournament with successive defeats. Yakin struck on 71 minutes then again from the penalty spot with seven minutes left. Prior to that, a second-string Portugal team – featuring only three starters from their previous victory – had made enough chances to win the game, although they should be back at full strength when they return here for Thursday’s quarter-final.
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