In the quarterfinals of the European Cup on July 7, the Swiss team was defeated by England on penalties and did not reach the quarterfinals. After the match, Swiss head coach Yakin attended the press conference and summarized the match and highly praised the team's performance.
Yakin began by expressing his disappointment with the result, "It's heartbreaking. We put in so much effort and created so many chances. I feel sorry for the lads and I feel sorry for the country. England didn't get many chances and we created quite a few. In a way we didn't deserve to be eliminated but we can leave this stage very proud."
Despite the loss, Yakin gave full credit to his team's performance: "We don't need to hide anymore. We were eliminated because we didn't play well enough today, especially in the penalty shootout, where we lacked some luck. But overall, we created a lot of problems for the big teams and showed a lot of tenacity and team spirit. We can leave with our heads held high because we did our best."
Speaking about Akanji, Yakin said, "Akanji is an important part of the team and he gave a lot in the game. I don't have any consoling words to say about the penalty he conceded. But I must thank him for his performance and leadership, he has been a role model for the team. We are all deeply saddened but also filled with pride because Akanji did his best."
In addition, Yakin made special mention of Zaka, who played with an injury: "Zaka has been playing with an injury, which is a huge challenge for his fitness. He was injured early in the game against Italy and hardly trained this week. But even so, he insisted on playing, which shows his character and willpower. There were moments when he couldn't play those long passes, but he still fought with all his might. He deserves high praise, he's the pride of our team."
Finally, Yakin said that the team will learn from this experience and prepare for future matches: "This tournament is a valuable experience for us. We will seriously summarize the gains and losses from the match and prepare for future matches. I believe our team will become stronger and we will continue to fight for the honor of our country."
