Switzerland secured a hard-fought victory over Hungary, starting their Euro 2024 campaign with a win at Cologne Stadium.
Kwadwo Duah, a surprising inclusion by coach Murat Yakin, scored his first international goal, putting Switzerland ahead. Michel Aebischer extended the lead just before half-time.
Hungary’s Barnabas Varga reignited hopes with 30 minutes remaining by converting a brilliantly-weighted cross from Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai, beating goalkeeper Yann Sommer.
In stoppage time, substitute Breel Embolo sealed the win with a deft lob over Peter Gulacsi.
Following a 5-1 defeat by Germany, Scotland remains at the bottom of Group A, while Switzerland sits second, trailing only the tournament hosts.
Yakin’s side seized control of the match from the outset, dominating possession while Hungary struggled to create any attacking opportunities in the first 45 minutes.
London-born Duah, who had previously played only 45 minutes for Switzerland, was brilliantly set up by Aebischer and finished past Gulacsi in the 12th minute.
Just before half-time, left-wing back Aebischer cut inside on his right foot and expertly placed a shot beyond the diving Gulacsi from 20 yards out.
In the 63rd minute, Varga missed a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit by steering his header wide.
However, he quickly redeemed himself three minutes later by meeting Szoboszlai’s curling cross with a deft header, halving the deficit.
Despite the encouragement from their fans, Hungary couldn’t find an equalizer.
Monaco striker Embolo, recently back from a cruciate ligament injury, came off the bench in the 74th minute. He capitalized on a defensive error to score in the third minute of added time, securing the win.
Next, Switzerland will face Scotland in Cologne on Wednesday, live on BBC One, while Hungary will take on Germany earlier in the day.
Beating Germany ‘looks impossible’ – Hungary boss
Hungary boss Marco Rossi was unimpressed by his side.
“We play Germany in four days. I dare anybody to bet one Hungarian forint on us. As of today that looks impossible,” the Italian said.
A forint is worth about one-fifth of a British penny.
Rossi added: “We had a tactical misunderstanding. We didn’t cope and have time to press them. The first half was very bad. We were too passive.
“I’m not looking for guilty people. I’m the coach and need to take my responsibility.
“We had some shortcomings in individual performances. There aren’t many strategies to stop individual mistakes.”
A happier Switzerland boss Murat Yakin said: “I liken football to chess, and today we got our tactics right. We used this formation for a particular reason.
“We focused on making the most of our strengths and we made our opponents’ lives very hard in the first half.”