Joy ruled in Switzerland over a success that provided new impetus 10 months prior to the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008. The Swiss team defeated the Netherlands 2-1 (1-0) in Geneva on August 22. The critics were effusive: “Defeat of Holland has opened a new chapter” was a typical newspaper headline. “For the first time in 14 years, 3 months and 21 days the national team has beaten one of the world’s top ten football sides”, wrote tabloid newspaper “Blick”. This success against the nation ranked sixth in the world was the first victory against a major football power since the 1-0 win over Italy in 1993. During the 5,226-days phase without a win the Swiss results against top ten teams read 17 defeats and 9 draws.

Tranquillo Barnetta, who plays with German Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen, made the deserved triumph possible with two goals in his 25th international match. The fans were ecstatic; the Swiss players were also very pleased with their performance. Following the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ the Swiss suffered some setbacks. Their national squad dropped from 13th to 45th place in the world rankings. The optimistic, but demanding goal of national coach Jakob Kuhn to carry off the UEFA European Football Championship™ 2008 title on home soil, seemed well out of reach during the first half of 2007. But in Geneva there came new hope, with the team demonstrating more convincing form.

“Finally we have achieved a win against one of the great teams in Europe, even the world. But we had to wait a long time”, said a pleased ‘Koebi’ Kuhn. After a 1-1 draw with Argentina at the end of the 2006-07 season, the “post FIFA World Cup™ depression” was eased somewhat. In Geneva, the team “won back the hearts of the fans”, according to Kuhn. His team clearly showed an upward tendency. Marco van Basten, coach of the Oranje team, complimented the Swiss: “Switzerland did not surprise me. They are a team with a strong fighting spirit, with everybody running for everybody else.”

These re-awakened hopes of performing well among the best 16 European teams at the UEFA EURO next year, were mainly founded on the necessity to find new blood. Kuhn had to replace five important players, Frei, Mueller, Djourou, Gygax and Dzemaili. But the Swiss Football Federation, SFV, have done an outstanding job in recruiting new players, with Kuhn able to rely on technical director Hansruedi Hasler and his team. “Older junior team”, with a few experienced players, was seen as a fitting description of the Swiss side. Only goalkeeper Fabio Coltorti, 26, striker Blaise Nkufo, 32, and deputy captain Ludovic Magnin, 28, were older than 25 in this “Young Swiss” outfit against Holland.

Gelson Fernandes made his debut in the A team at the age of 21. The former player with Sitten, for whom Manchester City paid six million Euros, made a top level debut in the defensive midfield. The battle for the 23 places in the Swiss squad for the UEFA European Football Championship 2008 has become tougher. Competition has increased to such an extent that there are around 40 equally good professionals from which to choose. The established players over 30, Pascal Zuberbuehler, Raphaël Wicky, Patrick Mueller, Hakan Yakin and Benjamin Huggel are facing pressure from the young former European junior champions.

Kuhn can be content. Every future match will now hold special importance. Last year the impression prevailed that his team could not fully exploit their potential in friendlies as they did in competitive games. However, Kuhn has not finished searching: two days after the victory over the Dutch he nominated 28 players for the Four-Nation Tournament in which his team will meet Chile in Vienna on Friday, September 7, and Japan in Klagenfurt on Tuesday, September 11. The national coach picked Mario Eggimann of Karlsruher SC for the first time, while captain and goalscorer Alexander Frei of Borussia Dortmund, Fabio Celestini of Getafe and Boris Smiljanic of Grashoppers Zurich will return.

Nkufo is also back in the fold. The 32-year-old, who earned his eighth Swiss cap against the Netherlands, had not been considered for five years after a quarrel with Kuhn. Since 2003, he has scored goals in 127 matches for Twente Enschede in the Dutch first division. Kuhn visited him recently in Enschede, and the disagreements were solved. The Congo-born attacker played from the start in Geneva and showed he is ready for further action.