SWITZERLAND vs ICELAND Match Report

UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 – Group A

Stadion Wankdorf, Bern | 8pm Kick-Off (BST)

6 July 2025

Switzerland kept their hopes alive of a first-ever place in the European Championship quarter-finals with a well-deserved 2-0 victory over Iceland in Bern.

Second-half goals from Géraldine Reuteler and substitute Alayah Pilgrim gave the hosts their first Euros win since 2017.

The victory lifts Pia Sundhage’s side into second place in Group A behind Norway, only ahead of Finland on goal difference.

Iceland, meanwhile, are eliminated from the tournament after just two games with the defeat.

Their best chances of the game came in the opening minutes of each half when both Ingibjörg Sigurðardóttir and Karólína Vilhjálmsdóttir struck the crossbar.

Switzerland had dominated possession throughout the match but failed to create clear-cut chances, although Svenja Folmli was denied a first-half goal after a VAR check ruled out her header for a foul.

But, roared on by a sellout stadium, the introduction of substitutes in the second half gave Switzerland fresh energy.

Reuteler opened the scoring on 79 minutes after being fed by teenager Sydney Schertenleib, before Pilgrim’s late deflected strike sealed the victory.

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First Half

After suffering defeat in their opening group games, both Switzerland and Iceland were in desperate need of a win, and the game started brightly.

With less than a minute played, a long throw from Sveindís Jónsdóttir caused panic in the Switzerland area before Sigurðardóttir rattled the crossbar with a right-footed volley.

At the other end, Swiss defender Julia Stierli looped a header over from Smilla Vallotto's outswinging corner.

The early chances only increased the booming volume inside the Wankdorf Stadium in Bern, with Swiss renditions of "Hopp Schwiiz" battling against the familiar Viking Thunder Clap from Iceland’s 2,000 supporters.

The action on the pitch was intense too. Swiss manager Sundhage hinted before kick-off to expect a “physically demanding match” and neither side shied away from the tackles.

It was the hosts who looked more dangerous in possession. New Manchester City signing Iman Beney was full of running down the right wing, while 18-year-old Barcelona prodigy Sydney Schertenleib was another bright spark, often floating in space between Iceland’s midfield and defence.

Schertenleib’s selection meant Reuteler, Switzerland's Player of the Match in their defeat to Norway, was shifted into a deeper role, where she too saw plenty of the ball. But owing to resolute defending and tricky conditions in the Bern rain, neither goalkeeper was seriously tested.

The game was not short of incident, however, as Sigurdardóttir, Alexandra Jóhannsdóttir, and Iceland’s manager, Thorsteinn Halldórsson, were all booked in a tempestuous opening period.

Switzerland thought they had opened the scoring in the 29th minute when Svenja Fölmli’s powerful header was deflected past her own goalkeeper by Icelandic captain Glódís Viggósdóttir. But after the initial celebrations, Spanish referee Marta Huerta De Aza was called over the screen and disallowed the goal for an illegal block on Karólína Vilhjálmsdóttir by Fölmli.

Driven on by their supporters, Switzerland continued to press for the opener. Both Schertenleib and Beney brought the crowd off their seats with shots from distance, but neither forced Cecilía Rúnarsdóttir into a save.

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Second Half

Having struggled to create chances since hitting the crossbar in the first minute, Iceland were once again quickest out of the blocks in the second half.

Vilhjálmsdóttir – who scored a hat-trick the last time the two countries played each other in April – struck a free-kick from distance that had Swiss goalkeeper Livia Peng beaten, but clipped the top of the crossbar.

As in the first half, the tournament hosts responded. An incisive pass from Reuteler found Fölmliin the box, but her effort hit the side netting.

There was no let-up in the fierce tackles either as the game opened up, but the real turning point came on 56 minutes when Switzerland brought on OL Lyonnes teenager Leila Wandeler and the country’s all-time top goalscorer Ana-Maria Crnogorčević.

Immediately, Switzerland looked more threatening in attack, and their supporters could sense it. Wandeler almost made an immediate impact when her left-wing cross was met with a looping header by Beney, but Rúnarsdóttir leapt to tip the ball over the bar.

Iceland, for whom a draw would not be enough, also threatened on the break, and a snapshot from substitute Hafrún Halldórsdóttir sailed wide of the post.

Finally, a genuine moment of quality broke the deadlock in the 79th minute. Swiss captain Lia Wälti won possession on the halfway line and found Schauntelieb in space in the final third. The 18-year-old then threaded a perfect through-ball for the onrushing Reuteler, who found the corner of the net with a firmly-struck right-footed shot to lift the roof off the stadium.

Iceland tried in vain to respond, Vilhjálmsdóttir stinging the hands of Peng after good work from Sandra Jessen, but as they pushed for an equaliser, they left gaps in defence.

A curling effort from Wandeler glanced off the crossbar, and only superb last-ditch defensive interventions from Viggósdóttir and Guðrún Arnardóttir kept Iceland in the game.

But another Switzerland substitute, Alayah Pilgrim, who’d had an earlier close-range effort palmed over by Rúnarsdóttir, eventually put the result beyond doubt.

As the game entered the final minute of normal time, Wandeler broke down the right and found the Roma forward in space on the edge of the box. Pilgrim cut back onto her right foot and unleashed a fierce strike at goal, which deflected in off the unfortunate Halldórsdóttir.

Full-Time: Switzerland 2 – 0 Iceland

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Post-Match Thoughts

The first half had all the signs of two teams that have drawn against each other twice already this season in the UEFA Women’s Nations League. Throughout the opening 45 minutes, possession often changed, and the final ball was lacking.

But while Switzerland’s substitutes had an impact on their attacking output, Iceland failed to build on their early chances in either half.

Manager Halldórsson had said his team would do “everything in our power to get that win,” but aside from Jónsdóttir’s long throws, they rarely troubled the Swiss defence.

The hosts, on the other hand, fed off their support from the stands, and the joyous final-whistle celebrations told all. Switzerland came through a tough test with their fate still in their own hands.

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Group A Outlook

In Sunday’s earlier kick-off, Norway kept up their 100% record with a 2-1 win against Finland, leaving them on a maximum of 6 points from two games. Thanks to Switzerland’s victory tonight, Norway are assured of a place in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2013. 

Meanwhile, the tournament hosts are now level on points with Finland, with both sides facing each other in the final group game on July 10th to decide who else will progress from Group A.

For Iceland, who have qualified for every European Championship since 2009, it is another group stage exit, this time after just two games. They have still failed to score more than one goal in a match in the European Championships and last reached the knockout stages in 2013.