Switzerland faced a challenging defeat in their first major women's tournament at home, losing 2-1 to Norway. Coach Pia Sundhage urged her players to embrace the pressure before the match. Despite leading 1-0 early on, Switzerland suffered defeat due to an unfortunate own goal by Julia Stierli. The opening ceremony was playful and entertaining, contrasting with the match outcome. Sundhage noted that the team showed strong preparation and responsiveness, even though they were unable to capitalize on their initial dominance against Norway, who are two-time European champions.
This is once in a lifetime, it will never come back. Switzerland head coach Pia Sundhage had been unequivocal in her pre-match news conference as she urged her players to embrace the pressure of their opening game.
The highly experienced Sundhage knows all about leading a host nation on a big stage, having taken charge of Sweden on home soil at Euro 2013, something she described as one of my best years.
This tournament was not kickstarted with pre-match pyrotechnics or anything flashy. Instead the opening ceremony in Basel was playful and entertaining as performers danced with silver tubes before a giant Women's Euros trophy was formed.
Sundhage's players seemed to take the burden of expectation in their stride early on, playing on the front foot, but they could not see the job through.
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