The Swiss starting eleven against Malta.
Keystone
The Swiss women’s national team have maximum points after two World Cup qualifying matches. Here are the scores from the 4:1 win against Malta.
Malta got dangerously close to goal two or three times, but only shot once at Peng’s box. And this ball promptly lands in the net. Not a goalkeeping error, but probably not unstoppable. A thankless game for the Chelsea goalkeeper, as she is never able to distinguish herself.
Wandeler moves into the starting eleven, albeit in an unfamiliar position. The 19-year-old normally plays an attacking role, but against Malta she plays at right-back. The experiment did not bear fruit, as she undercut the ball when she conceded a goal and could only watch as Maria Farrugia curled the ball into the net. She was substituted in the 62nd minute.
Calligaris did a decent job, but took less responsibility in the build-up play than against Northern Ireland.
After her suspension, she returned to the starting eleven and took on the role of central defender. Shortly before the break, she stopped a counter-attack and prevented Malta from scoring a possible equalizer to make it 2-3.
Against Northern Ireland, Riesen played as a right-back, but against Malta she came in on the left. She is much less effective, partly because the Swiss are looking for a direct route through the middle more often than four days ago.
Reuteler is very committed, especially in the first half, sometimes leaving her opponent standing and going for the finish. The necessary competitive luck was not on her side, otherwise she would have been rewarded with a goal.
For long stretches, she does her job calmly without attracting much attention. However, she then sets up the 4:1 with a long ball that checkmates the entire defense.
Schertenleib set up the 1:0 and the 3:1, and she also had a hand in the creation of the 2:0. She was less conspicuous in the second half and was substituted in the 74th minute.
Lehmann moved into the starting eleven and scored the 2-0 in the 10th minute with her second good chance. She also had several good offensive actions in the following minutes. It was Lehmann’s best game for a long time. In the 62nd minute, she makes way for her good friend Riola Xhemaili.
She scored the 2:0 against Northern Ireland as a substitute, and against Malta she made it 3:1 before the break. She did not return to the pitch after the break. Rafel Navarro explained after the game that this was at the player’s request and not because of her performance.
Iman Beney makes a big impression in the first half. She scored in the 8th minute to make it 1:0 and shortly afterwards she set up Lehmann’s goal with a sugar pass. Even after that, her actions are well-paced and it’s fun to watch her. Less noticeable after the break, but not bad either.
Substitute players
Csillag came on for Fölmli at the break and immediately put the pedal to the metal. As soon as she came on, she hit the post. She then does a great job of volleying the ball into the goal to make the final score 4:1.
Crnogorcevic came on for Wandeler in the 62nd minute. The record international does her job.
Xhemaili came on for Lehmann in the 62nd minute, but remained pale.
From the 74th minute for Schertenleib. Too short for a rating.
From the 85th minute for Beney. Too short for a rating.