Switzerland cruise past North Macedonia ahead of Hampden trip
Switzerland beat North Macedonia 3-0 in Skopje to open their Nations League campaign.
The Nations League is the competition that places European national teams into tiered groups outside major tournaments. Remo Freuler gave the visitors the lead with his first international goal in almost two years. Zeki Amdouni added two more, three minutes before half-time and then with just over a quarter-of-an-hour left.
Both of Amdouni's goals were set up by Zachary Athekame. The 21-year-old right-back, on loan to Lyon from AC Milan, was making his Switzerland debut. Two more debutants followed from the bench, with Sascha Britschgi and Winsley Boteli earning their first senior caps, according to BBC Sport.
The scoreline matched the balance of play. Switzerland had 22 goal attempts, 13 on target, against two off-target efforts from North Macedonia. It continues a strong run of one defeat in 10 matches, the 3-1 extra-time loss to Argentina in the World Cup quarter-final.
Switzerland did it without captain Granit Xhaka. He was omitted from the squad last week and is under investigation by Swiss prosecutors after reports he confessed to using a fake certificate to avoid mandatory vaccination during the Covid pandemic. Ardon Jashari stepped into midfield in his place. Freuler said afterwards the team had done a great job compensating for Xhaka's absence.
There was also no Breel Embolo. He was suspended for the opener after his red card against Argentina. He told the Swiss Football Association about a matter concerning his private life that became public in the media, and will not join the squad in Glasgow. He will also miss the home games against Slovenia on 3 October and North Macedonia three days later. Embolo moved to Atlanta United in Major League Soccer in August from Rennes.
What makes this stand out is how settled Switzerland looked despite the noise. Young players stepped in. Chances kept coming. The passing stayed crisp.
For fans, this means a sharp test next. Scotland are next at Hampden. Scotland qualified for the 2026 World Cup to end a 28-year absence from the finals, according to UEFA, and Hampden on a big night needs no introduction.
