Clear victory against the Czech Republic: The Swiss women's football team succeeds in the dress rehearsal for the European Championship at home

(sda) The Swiss women's national team won the friendly match against the Czech Republic before the European Championship in Winterthur. The 4-1 victory was the first victory for Pia Sundhage's team this year.

The Swiss women had gone eight matches without a win. Their last victory was on October 29, 2024, when they surprisingly defeated France 2-1 in Geneva. Accordingly, national coach Pia Sundhage attached great importance to Thursday's match. "The result is important. The best scenario would be if we scored several goals," the 65-year-old Swede said on Wednesday. The players fulfilled her wish.

Riola Xhemaili, who started up front in place of Sydney Schertenleib, who had only been called up this week, was particularly impressive. The Eindhoven player scored herself after 23 minutes, and shortly before halftime, she provided the decisive pass for Géraldine Reuteler's goal – a stunning backheel. The third goal came after a beautiful combination between Fölmli and Reuteler, which only required Smilla Vallotto to put her foot in the net.

The Swiss women's team made several mistakes in the final stages, thus missing out on an even bigger victory. Leila Wandeler, on her debut, hit the post ten minutes before the end. Fölmli did better, securing the final goal in the 90th minute.

The Swiss national team had little to do defensively. The Czech Republic, which lost to Portugal in the playoffs and thus won't qualify for the finals, was able to exert little pressure. The visitors' only goal came from a corner that the Swiss failed to clear. Barbora Polcarova scored from a scrum just three minutes after the Swiss lead. Livia Peng, who was preferred over Elvira Herzig and thus likely to start the European Championship as the number one, had no chance of defending.

The Swiss showed improvement over their recent performances, even if they often lacked pace going forward, especially early on, and several good transition moments were sloppy. What coach Sundhage must have appreciated was that the high pressing she demanded was implemented for long stretches. The Swiss repeatedly won possession in the opposing half of the pitch – Nadine Riesen before the 1-0 goal, and Sandrine Mauron before the second.

Mauron replaced the injured Lia Wälti in midfield, who surprisingly wasn't even included in the squad. On Wednesday, Sundhage had assured that the captain would at least play a part-time game. Whether the 32-year-old will be fit for action by Wednesday remains to be seen, as the Swiss women's national team begins its European Championship campaign against Norway in Basel.

More to follow.