Switzerland hail 'great job' without Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo in North Macedonia
The Swiss national football team won 3-0 against North Macedonia in a Nations League match, despite playing without key players Granit Xhaka and Breel Embolo. Xhaka is under investigation regarding a Covid-19 vaccination certificate, while Embolo was unavailable due to personal matters.
Why it matters
Demonstrates team resilience in high-stakes international football tournaments amid unexpected player absences and off-field controversies.
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, Remo Freuler (second right) and Zeki Amdouni (right) scored Switzerland's goals in Skopje
Switzerland feel they did "a great job" of compensating for the loss of captain Granit Xhaka and key striker Breel Embolo as they head to Hampden to face Scotland on the back of an impressive 3-0 win in North Macedonia.
Sunderland midfielder Xhaka was omitted from their squad last week, having reportedly confessed to using a fake certificate to avoid a mandatory vaccination during the Covid pandemic. The 34-year-old is under investigation by Swiss prosecutors.
Then, on the eve of their Nations League opener in Skopje, the Swiss Football Association announced Atlanta United striker Embolo had informed it "about the matter concerning his private life that became public in the media today".
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