“Why it hurts so much”: Gregor Kobel gutted after Swiss World Cup exit | OneFootball

It wasn’t down to him. Gregor Kobel (28) was once again in top form in the World Cup quarterfinal against Argentina. The goalkeeper of the Swiss national team and Borussia Dortmund saved everything there was to save. But even he could not prevent the 1-3 defeat after extra time.

The turning point of the match was likely Breel Embolo’s (29) yellow-red card. The Swiss striker, who had already been booked, blatantly dove in a challenge with Leandro Paredes (32) with the score at 1-1 and was therefore rightly sent off after 72 minutes. “That action decided the game, to Switzerland’s detriment,” Mats Hummels (37) said afterward on Magenta, assessing the scene.

Down a man, the Swiss managed to force extra time, but then conceded two more goals in the additional period. “I didn’t really see enough of it,” Kobel said in an interview with SRF about Embolo’s sending-off. But the Dortmund keeper still appreciated his team’s performance. “Given the way we fought, it feels unfair not to at least get another chance in a penalty shootout,” he said, lamenting the late knockout blow by Julián Álvarez (26) in the 112th minute and Lautaro Martínez in the first minute of stoppage time in extra time.

Akanji fumes

Despite the unfortunate exit in the last-eight round, Switzerland can take plenty of positives from the tournament. For the first time since 1954, the Alpine nation reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup. Kobel acknowledged that as well: “I’m proud of how far we got and that we gave everything again today. We were in the flow and showed heart.” Still, one bitter note remains: “That’s why it hurts so much to go out like this.”

Photo: Getty Images

Former BVB professional Manuel Akanji (30) was visibly annoyed after the final whistle. “I’m not usually someone who complains about the referee,” the center-back said, before still criticizing Portuguese official Joao Pinheiro (38). “I’ve never played a match where it was as one-sided as it was today. None of their dives were punished,” he complained about the referee’s decisions.

Even if Pinheiro did not always get things right, the yellow-red card for Embolo after VAR intervention was the correct decision.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.