Football: Switzerland beat world champions France on penalties to reach Euro 2020 quarter-finals

BUCHAREST (REUTERS) - Switzerland's Yann Sommer saved France striker Kylian Mbappe's spot kick to secure a 5-4 shoot-out win over the world champions, following a thrilling 3-3 draw after extra time on Monday (June 28), for his team to reach the Euro 2020 quarter-finals where they will meet Spain.

It was Switzerland's first knockout stage victory at a tournament since 1938 and the first time they have made the last eight since the 1954 World Cup which they hosted.

On a memorable evening for Swiss football, the so-called Nati repeatedly beat the odds, coming from 3-1 down with two goals in the final five minutes to force extra time and eventually penalties.

"It is my responsibility and I told the players that I assume it," French coach Didier Deschamps, who won the 2018 World Cup with France, said of the shock loss.

"When France win, merit goes always to the players. When things are less good then it is my responsibility. But that's the way sport is. You have to accept it even if it hurts."

The French looked to be cruising to victory when Karim Benzema struck twice in two minutes early in the second half.

He latched on to Mbappe's through ball in the 57th minute to cancel out Switzerland's first half lead through Haris Seferovic's header.

Benzema then headed home from near the goal-line two minutes later to take his tournament tally to four as France took control of the game, following a lacklustre first half, minutes after the Swiss had missed a 55th minute penalty.

Hugo Lloris saved Ricardo Rodriguez's spot kick as the Swiss wasted the chance to take a two-goal lead in what looked like a turning point in the match.

By the time Paul Pogba scored with a sensational curled shot into the top corner in the 75th minute to make it 3-1 for France, few believed the momentum could shift once more.

But Seferovic headed in his second goal with five minutes to play and substitute Mario Gavranovic beat Lloris to snatch a 90th-minute equaliser and force the extra period after France substitute Kingsley Coman thundered a drive off the bar.

"It's painful, even more so after a penalty shoot-out where it becomes a lottery," said Lloris.

"The only regret we can have is that at 3-1, we need to manage the match better. We've been able to close it out in the past few years."

Olivier Giroud twice came close for France having come off the bench but the game was to be resolved on penalties where Sommer swatted Mbappe's spot kick away after five Swiss players had scored to earn their first ever tournament shoot-out win.

"Honestly I am still in shock," said Sommer, who became the most capped Swiss keeper with 65 international appearances.

"We showed courage, heart, we left everything out there. When you come back from two goals down against the world champions it is just unbelievable, and then to win on penalties, I could not be prouder of the way we did it."

"It was a poor French national team. There wasn't any togetherness, there wasn't any spirit. We didn't play as a team so we didn't deserve to go to the next round," former France midfielder Patrick Viera, who won the World Cup in 1998 and the Euros in 2020, said on French TV."