Switzerland 2 Iceland 0
July 6 – Switzerland got their Euro 2025 campaign back on track with a 2-0 victory against Iceland, the first team to be eliminated from the tournament.
The hosts secured their first win of Euro 2025 in a sold out Stadion Wankdorf in Bern, and only their second in tournament history with goals from Geraldine Reuteler and Alayah Pilgrim in the last 15 minutes of the match after a tense evening in front of a frenzied crowd in Bern. The result knocks Iceland out of Euro 2025 following a second consecutive defeat.
At Euro 2017, Switzerland defeated Iceland 2-1 for their first-ever win at a continental championship and on Sunday, they repeated the feat to ensure three vital points and keep their chances alive on home soil. Reuteler had been one of Switzerland’s standout players in their opening match and she delivered again with a cool 76th-minute finish from a Sydney Schertenleib assist. With Switzerland enjoying the momentum, Pilgrim doubled the score in the 90th minute.
The Swiss had the ball in the net in the 28th minute, but that goal was ruled out for a foul by Svenja Folmli on Alexandra Johannsdottir. Perhaps the protests by the Iceland captain had put extra pressure on the referee, but there was a frostiness between the sides as if the importance of the match needed further highlighting. Following Norway’s victory against Finland, Iceland could not afford a defeat.
They made the match physical and the first half was cagey. In the first minute, Iceland’s Ingibjorg Sigurdardottir rattled the crossbar with a one-touch attempt. Teenager Sydney Schertenleib proved to be a bright spot and outlet for the Nati, and the hosts came alive in the last five minutes. They concluded the first half the way Iceland had started it – on the front foot and by almost scoring. Iman Beney dispatched a bullet that missed the target by a whisker.
The second half got under way at breakneck speed. Agla Albertsdottir’s free kick clipped the bar, prompting a response from Flomli who hit the side netting from a tight angle. Beney’s powerful header required an outstanding safe from Cecilia Runarsdottir, the goalkeeper of the year in the Serie A.
But it was Reuteler who found the crucial breakthrough. Buoyed by the home fans, Switzerland streamed forward and following several opportunities, Pilgrim added a second to seal the three points. The Swiss celebrated in raucous fashion. This was the moment they had been waiting for, the victory they had craved. A weight was lifted off the Nati’s shoulders.
Switzerland were beaming and with reason – they have never progressed out of the group stage at the Euros, but with Finland to come in their final group, they are within touching distance. It will be an opportunity to write history.
The 2-0 result also confirmed Norway as group winners as the head-to-head is the difference maker at the tournament. It’s good news for Gemma Grainger and her charges who will almost certainly avoid Spain in the quarter-finals. They wrap up the group stages against Iceland.
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