Ben Khalifa eyes Switzerland qualification

The UEFA European Under-17 Championship is not a tournament in which many players manage a second bite of the cherry, but in his second visit to the finals, Nassim Ben Khalifa is hoping that his experience of playing in Turkey last year, and making his debut in the Swiss Super League with Grasshopper-Club this season, will help his team qualify from Group A.

Lessons learned
The Switzerland forward was on target in Wednesday's opening 1-1 draw against France and believes his team are ready to make their mark. "Last year I left the competition with lots of regrets," Ben Khalifa said. "We had more talent but the team as a whole was not quite as good. This time we have had very good preparation. We even had a training camp a week prior to the event. We play with great spirit and we know exactly the mistakes we should not repeat."

Grassroots to Grasshoppers
A long-time member of the U17 team – he was only 15 when he first joined the squad – Ben Khalifa also credits his current club for his newly acquired maturity. "Once I joined Swiss giants Grasshopper-Club, I was able to practice with the first team and even play two Super League games. It brought me a great dose of experience to be able to play against adults, be it for tactical, technical or even physical reasons. I bulked up a lot."

Goal threat
A keen fan of France forward Karim Benzema, Ben Khalifa has started to show a rare knack in front of goal, scoring a hat-trick in the crucial final Elite round fixture against Slovenia in March. His striker's instinct may even catch Italy goalkeeper Mattia Perin by surprise on Saturday; as it did on Wednesday against France. "I was supposed to stay around the front post at the corner but – since I hadn't a sniff of the ball during the whole game at these set-pieces – I decided to go for it and it was a good header."