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Wales held Switzerland to a 1-1 draw in their EURO 2020 Group A opener at the Baku Olympic Stadium as Kieffer Moore's header ensured a point for Ryan Giggs' men.
Breel Embolo broke the deadlock for Switzerland with a fine header from Xherdan Shaqiri's cross in the 48th minute after the Swiss had enjoyed a good spell right before the break.
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In the first half, Switzerland dominated proceedings and pushed Wales on the back foot. Moore displayed his aerial prowess for Wales and connected well with an incoming cross, but Yann Sommer produced one of the saves of the game to keep his team's citadel intact.
Switzerland could've gone ahead right before the break. But Haris Seferovic could not control his shot in front of goal after Embolo had done well under pressure to pass the ball to him.
This stalemate leaves Italy two points clear at the top of Group A standings. Switzerland would rue not making the most of their chances, as they were arguably the better team on the night.
On that note, let's take a look at the five talking points from the game.
#1 Switzerland dominate from the start, including a superb first half
Switzerland headed into their EURO 2020 opener on a six-game winning streak. After a slow start, they got into their groove.
They dominated proceedings, and their attacking play in the final third pushed Wales on the back foot, forcing them to only sit back and defend. The Swiss dominated possession, having 73% of the ball in the first half.
They recorded as many as 11 shots on target before the break, though only one was on target. Wales, in comparison, could only fire two. Breel Embolo caused all sorts of problems with his pace and strength in the Welsh box.
#2 Both Wales and Switzerland score from set-pieces
It is rare to see both teams scoring from set-piece situations in a game. But that's what happened on the pitch, as both Wales and Switzerland found the back of the net with headed goals.
Embolo's header from a Xherdan Shaqiri corner broke the deadlock for Switzerland early in the 48th minute. The Swiss continued to threaten the Wales goal but just could not find a way past Danny Ward from open play.
Wales equalised in the 74th minute via a headed goal from striker Kieffer Moore, who was denied by a brilliant Yann Sommer save in the 15th minute. Later, Wales took a short corner, and Moore made a brilliant run to get away from his marker to head home Joe Morrell's cross.
Also Read: The 10 highest-paid goalkeepers in the world.
#3 Haris Seferovic's wastefulness in front of goal costs Switzerland dearly
Haris Seferovic was part of Switzerland's two-man strike partnership fielded by Vladimir Petkovic. But he failed to justify his inclusion in the starting XI. Seferovic failed to complement Breel Embolo, who was brilliant throughout the game. The former also struggled to find his feet in the final third.
The Benfica striker had scored 22 goals for Benfica in the Primeira Liga but looked completely out of sorts against Wales. He took four of 18 shots recorded by Switzerland, but all of them were off target.
On the night, Seferovic's passing was also below par, as he completed only 60% of his passes. He failed to provide a spark in the final third. That was quite apparent when Mario Gavranovic replaced him and almost scored the winning goal.
#4 Xherdan Shaqiri delivers for Switzerland
Xherdan Shaqiri provided the assist for Switzerland's only goal of the game. Despite being substituted off in the 61st minute, he was the most creative player on the pitch, as none else recorded more key passes (4) than Shaqiri.
The Liverpool winger did not record a single shot on target but was a key figure in ensuring a continuous supply of decent balls to his strikers.
With his assist from a corner, Shaqiri was once again involved in a goal scored by Switzerland at a major tournament.
#5 VAR comes to Wales' rescue
Switzerland had better chances in the game but struggled to convert them into goals. They also conceded the equaliser in the 74th minute off a brilliant Kieffer Moore header.
They pushed hard for the winning goal, replacing the misfiring Seferovic with Mario Gavranovic in the 84th minute. The substitute had an almost immediate impact, finding the back of the net with a well-timed volley. But the goal was ruled out for offside by VAR as Wales heaved a huge sigh of relief.
EURO 2020 is the first edition of the continental tournament in which VAR has been used. Despite producing contentious calls at times, VAR was spot on in this game as Euro 2020 saw a goal disallowed by the video referee for the first time in the competition's history.
Also Read: 10 highest-paid players in the La Liga this season (2020-21).
