Euro 2020: Manuel Akanji and Switzerland suffer 3-0 defeat to Italy

Manuel Akanji and Switzerland suffered a 3-0 defeat to Italy on Wednesday evening, leaving their hopes of qualifying for the Euro 2020 round of 16 in the balance.

Italy dominated the game right from the start and took the lead through Manuel Locatelli in the 26th minute. The Sassuolo midfielder then doubled his tally seven minutes into the second half with a lovely finish from the edge of the box. Former Borussia Dortmund striker Ciro Immobile then added a third late on to give the Azzurri a dominant win over Switzerland.

Switzerland’s lack of creativity and quality in the final third meant that the Italy defence was never really troubled. And Roberto Mancini’s side were able to cruise to a comfortable win in the end.

Italy’s win means that they are the first team to book their place to the Euro 2020 round of 16. They hold a two point lead over second placed Wales in Group A, and will secure top spot with a draw in their final group game.

The defeat leaves Manuel Akanji and Switzerland with plenty of work to do if they want to make it through to the knockout phase. Vladimir Petkovic’s side have just one point after two games. And anything other than a win against Russia in their final group game would mark the end of their Euro 2020 campaign.

As the four best third placed teams also qualify for the round of 16, a win against Russia should be enough to help Switzerland go through even if they fail to finish in the top two in their group.