Spain players celebrate the side's penalty shoot-out victory over Switzerland. Photo / AP
Spain players celebrate the side's penalty shoot-out victory over Switzerland. Photo / AP
Mikel Oyarzabal converted the decisive spot kick on Saturday morning to give Spain a place in the European Championship semi-finals following a 3-1 penalty shootout victory over Switzerland.
It is no wonder Luis Enrique's hair is turning grey at an alarming rate. Visions of Yann Sommer must be giving Spain's head coach nightmares.
Sommer, the outstanding Switzerland goalkeeper, threatened to frustrate Spain for the second time in seven months in a penalty situation, but Enrique's underachievers advanced to the last four after what was a nerve-jangling penalty shoot-out.
Oyarzabal swept the final spot kick past Sommer to earn Spain a hard-fought victory against a team who had played for 43 minutes with 10 men after the controversial dismissal of Remo Freuler. The Swiss had also covered more miles and played more minutes than any other team at Euro 2020.
Sommer had saved two penalties in the Nations League encounter with Spain last November and the Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper was inspired again here, until Oyarzabal delivered the crucial contribution in Saint Petersburg.
Enrique has insisted that he is yet to see a better team at Euro 2020 than Spain and, while that may be nothing more than hyperbole, his team continue to progress despite some difficulties.
They lack a deadly forward, often possessing the cutting edge of a plastic spatula, with Alvaro Morata again underwhelming. But Enrique will believe that he still has the quality to go even deeper into the tournament.
For a head coach who was forced to deny accusations that he was facing the sack earlier in the competition, he will take this. It still feels as if Spain have not ventured out of second gear, despite scoring five goals in their two games before this wildly unpredictable encounter with the Swiss.
Under the astute management of Vladimir Petkovic, Switzerland have confounded their doubters and deservedly took the game to penalties, responding brilliantly after the dismissal of midfielder Freuler in the second half.
Switzerland went into this quarter-final – their first at a major tournament since 1954 – on a tidal wave of momentum after their thrilling victory over world champions France.
But their game plan was thrown into disarray after just eight minutes when they conceded a poor goal which could easily have been avoided.
Spain's goalkeeper Unai Simon celebrates after stopping a penalty from Switzerland's Fabian Schaer. Photo / AP
The Swiss failed to properly clear a corner and the ball drifted to Jordi Alba outside the penalty area, with the left-back crashing in a speculative shot which took a deflection off Denis Zakaria to beat Sommer.
It was later credited to Zakaria by Uefa, the 10th own goal of the tournament so far, though it was nowhere near as amusing as the Pedri back pass which somehow bamboozled Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon in their round of 16 victory over Croatia.
Switzerland were clearly rattled by the early setback and suffered further misfortune when Breel Embolo, their influential forward, limped off injured.
Yet they did recover and began to exert pressure on Spain with their uncompromising, energetic approach. Xherdan Shaqiri, captain in the absence of the suspended Granit Xhaka, was always involved, searching for the killer pass to Haris Seferovic.
Spain's football was tidy and easy on the eye but unthreatening, with very little incision to their play.
Enrique has shown so much loyalty to Morata in this tournament, but hooked the Juventus forward nine minutes into the second half in an obvious attempt to improve their threat in the final third.
Switzerland were forcing corners but struggling to create chances, until the 65th minute when the alarm bells started ringing for Enrique. It was Steven Zuber, racing onto a pass from substitute Ruben Vargas, who broke into the area but he could not direct his shot past Simon at the near post.
Three minutes later, however, they did produce the crucial goal and there was a whiff of inevitability about it thanks to Spain's defensive hesitancy.
Shaqiri has so often emerged with vital strikes at international level and his equaliser was coolly taken, sweeping the ball into the corner from 10 yards. Spain had dithered in possession outside their penalty area and only had themselves to blame.
Switzerland were now in the ascendancy until Freuler, who had provided the pass for Shaqiri's goal, was controversially dismissed.
It was a wild challenge from the Atalanta midfielder on Gerard Moreno, but never worthy of a straight red card.
Switzerland's Manuel Akanji reacts after missing a shootout penalty. Photo / AP
Extra time followed, with Spain dominating possession and missing chances, finally seeming to grasp the importance of the occasion. Moreno hooked a shot wide from close range while Alba's shot was tipped over by Sommer.
It was all getting desperate. Switzerland's goalkeeper was inspired and also produced a brilliant reflex save from Moreno in the 102nd minute while Ricardo Rodriguez, the left-back, made an outstanding block to deny Marcos Llorente.
Penalties were inevitable and when Sergio Busquets struck the post and Sommer saved from Rodri, a shock was in the air. Unfortunately for Switzerland, Fabian Schar, Manuel Akanji and Vargas missed to gift Spain a place in the semi-finals.
