Switzerland goalscorer Riola Xhemaili said her side “never stopped dreaming” after the tournament hosts avoided a group stage exit with a stoppage time equaliser against Finland.
Substitute Xhemaili levelled the scores in the 92nd minute at Stade de Geneve to secure a 1-1 draw and progression to the quarter-finals as Group A runners up, finishing ahead of Finland by virtue of their superior goal difference
A loss on Thursday would have resulted in Finland progressing instead and seen Switzerland become the first host nation to fail to reach the knockout stages at the women’s European Championship since England in 2005.
“We Swiss people – we’re a small nation, we never stopped dreaming, we never stopped fighting and we showed that we can fight for 95 minutes even if it’s tough and hard,” Xhemaili told womenseuro.com.
After losing 2-1 to Norway in their opening group game, Switzerland beat Iceland 2-0 on Sunday to ensure they just needed to avoid defeat against Finland to book a quarter-final place.
However, Pia Sundhage’s side were left facing elimination as Finland defender Natalia Kuikka converted a 79th-minute penalty after Viola Calligaris was penalised for a clumsy challenge on Emma Koivisto.
With seven minutes of stoppage time added on, Switzerland pushed for an equaliser. Geraldine Reuteler, scorer of her side’s crucial first in Sunday’s win over Iceland, turned provider, collecting Ana-Maria Crnogorcevic’s pass before her low delivery was turned home by 81st-minute substitute Xhemaili.
“I think I screamed everything that was inside me out,” Reuteler told a post-match press conference. “I was so, so happy. I just saw in everyone’s eyes that we would still score this goal. It was just incredible today, again.”
Finland head coach Marko Saloranta described the manner of the exit as “such an empty and painful feeling for all the players and staff”.
“I had to breathe for a while at full time,” Saloranta said. “I’m proud of how committed my players have been, how crazy they’ve been. Nobody believed in us outside the camp but we knew we could compete.
“We ended a 16-year wait for a finals win against Iceland, played well against Norway and then came so close to getting the result here to progress. We’re hurting.”
Switzerland have twice reached the last-16 at the World Cup but this marks the first time they have qualified for the knockout stages of the European Championship.
They will play the winner of Group B — either Spain or Italy — in the quarter-finals on Friday, July 18.
(Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images)
