It took 180 minutes and a penalty shootout, but Switzerland emerged victorious from a wild Euro 2020 round of 16 match against France on Monday.
The game ended 3-3 before heading to penalties, with the Swiss getting a pair of goals from Haris Seferovic and a late equalizer by Mario Gavranovic, while France's Karim Benzema also struck twice before Paul Pogba scored a long-range stunner.
Switzerland was the better of the two sides for the first half, with France seeming stuck in first gear while the Swiss played a smart, possession-based game in order to stifle their opponents' high-powered attacking threats. They mixed in some well-timed counterattacks to unbalance France, and it worked wonders at the 15-minute mark when Seferovic powered a header past goalkeeper Hugo Lloris for the lead.
The Swiss remained confident and composed throughout the remainder of the first half, despite the growing urgency of the French. The second half started similarly, and Switzerland earned a penalty in the 55th minute that could've put the French in a massive hole. However, Lloris was equal to the test, stopping Ricardo Rodriguez's poor attempt and keeping his side in the match.
The penalty save swung the momentum, as Benzema struck twice within the next four minutes to put France into the lead for the first time. It seemed as though the world champions were cruising, especially after Pogba hit his jaw-dropping 75th-minute goal to give his team a two-goal advantage, but the Swiss fight was not extinguished.
With less than 10 minutes remaining, it was Seferovic again rising to nod a powerful header past Lloris as Switzerland began the unlikely comeback. Then, in the final minute of regular time, Gavranovic latched on to a Granit Xhaka pass and twisted around his defender before striking a laser into the French net and forcing extra time.
Neither side could find the goal in the extra periods, although France had the better of the chances. Exhaustion was obvious across the board as both teams went to their benches, but the match was fated for penalties.
The first nine players to step up to the spot were on target in the shootout, leaving French superstar Kylian Mbappe to keep his team alive, Mbappe had missed a gilt-edged chance in the dying moments of extra time, and luck seemed to be against him as he hit a relatively weak penalty that was easily saved by Swiss 'keeper Yann Sommer.
The Swiss move on to the quarterfinals, with a match against Spain up next on July 2.
DAZN News provided live comentary and analysis of Monday's match. Here's how it all went down.