Switzerland: continuing to impress

By Marco Keller

Switzerland were not expected to overcome the significant hurdle of facing holders the Czech Republic in the play-offs to qualify for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, but while they may have ridden their luck, their victory on penalties pointed to a continuation of the success story started by the class of 2002.

Frei up
Stunning performances by the likes of Alexander Frei and Ricardo Cabanas carried the Swiss all the way to the semi-finals of the 2002 tournament, heralding a surge of interest in youth football in Switzerland - and the Under-21s' route to the finals this time around has been no less impressive.

Unbeaten run
Bernard Challandes' side stormed to victory in Group 10, enjoying a long unbeaten run before losing their final game against the Republic of Ireland, by which time a place in the play-offs had already been secured. The side had been particularly strong away from home, chalking up notable victories in Russia and the Republic of Ireland.

Vonlanthen sulk
After losing the first leg of the play-off 2-1 in Basel, where 17-year-old prodigy Johan Vonlanthen caused a storm by sulking and refusing to take his place on the substitutes' bench, Switzerland's record of thriving on their travels was tested to the limit against the title-defending Czechs.

Eggimann strike
Their task became even harder when they went behind on the hour in Ostrava and then saw Marco Streller sent off moments later. But the Swiss came back from this seemingly hopeless situation, with defender Mario Eggimann equalising before the side drew level on aggregate thanks to an own goal with five minutes of normal time to play.

Crucial save
Switzerland came close to snatching a winning goal in extra-time before Tranquillo Barnetta, Pascal Cerrone, Alain Rochat and Kim Jaggy scored their penalties and goalkeeper Marco Wölfli made a crucial save to win the tie and maintain Switzerland's emergence to the fore at U21 level.

Titans bow out
The class of 2002, dubbed 'The Titans' by the Swiss fans, led the way by many leading lights were no longer eligible. Frei, Cabanas, Ludovic Magnin, Remo Meyer and Stéphane Grichting all moved on to leave charismatic coach Challandes building the next generation around captain Mario Eggimann, one of the few Titans still young enough to feature. The Karlsruhe SC defender has established himself and, despite Daniel Gygax and Streller recently making the jump to the senior team, Challandes still has a very competitive squad.

Schwegler out
Wölfli is a solid goalkeeper and PSV Eindoven's Vonlanthen, André Muff of FC Zurich, striker Davide Chiumiento of Juventus FC and Servette FC's Fabrizio Zambrella are sure to shine. A few clouds linger, however, with Grasshoppper-Club's Roland Schwegler out of the tournament with a foot injury, although Arsenal FC's Philippe Senderos and Davide Calla of FC Wil 1900 have overcome scares of their own to make the 22-man squad.

For profile of coach Bernard Challandes click here