BREAKING: Spain Defeat 10-man Switzerland To Qualify For Euro 2020 Semi-final

Switzerland lost to Spain in the quarterfinals of the Euro 2020 in Saint Petersburg on Friday.

The loss came despite their struggle to beat the former champions, but their effort was not enough to oust the Spanish team.

With the result, Spain will meet either Italy or Denmark in the semi-finals of the competition.

Switzerland beat France on penalties in the round of 16 to get into its first major tournament quarter-final since 1954, while Spain beat Croatia 5-3.

But losing against Spain is a continuation of their jinx of not reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup or European Championship.

Swiss coach, Vladimir Petkovic, had admitted prior to the match that his team needed to fight harder against Spain.

He said, “We need to be hungry to make it to the next round… From this point on, I can’t say I’m satisfied– because, for me, the next step is always the most important. We want to make it to the next round, even if we’re facing one of the favourites in Spain.”

An 8th minute own goal from Denis Zakaria was not enough to end the race for Petkovic’s Euro 2020 dream.

Luis Enrique’s side conceded a goal scored by Xherdan Shaqiri in the 68th minute to level 1-1.

The Swiss were down to 10 men after Remu Freuler’s dangerous tackle on Gerard Moreno in the 77th minute got him a red card.

Switzerland became more defensive as Spain mounted heavy pressure.

The match was dragged beyond the regular 90 minutes to additional time, but Spain maintained their pace in the game.

Petkovic’s men dragged the former World Cup champions and three times Euro winners to penalties.

Spain’s Sergio Busquets and Rodri missed their penalties, while Fabian Schaer and Manuel Akanji also squandered Switzerland’s chances.

Ruben Vargas also missed his penalty to give Spain a 3-1 victory over the Swiss.

PHOTOS