Switzerland showed they can thrive without two of their biggest names, brushing aside North Macedonia in a Nations League fixture that saw them dominate from start to finish ahead of their upcoming trip to face Scotland.
Captain Granit Xhaka and forward Breel Embolo were both absent from the squad for this camp, with the Swiss Football Association confirming the team would continue without Xhaka in order to keep the group's attention squarely fixed on the Nations League campaign. The decision did nothing to disrupt the Swiss rhythm, as they delivered a commanding performance built on relentless pressing and clinical finishing.
The visitors needed just 22 minutes to break the deadlock. Zeki Amdouni rose to head the ball into the path of Remo Freuler, who slotted home from 15 yards to notch his first international goal in almost two years. Amdouni, who plays his club football for Burnley, then took center stage himself, adding two further goals of similar fashion — one just before the half-hour mark and another with roughly 15 minutes remaining, though North Macedonia goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski will feel he could have done more to keep out the first of those efforts.
Both of Amdouni's goals were teed up by Zachary Athekame, who impressed on his debut at right-back. The 21-year-old, on loan at Lyon from AC Milan, provided two assists in an eye-catching first appearance for the national side. Elsewhere, Parma's Sascha Britschgi and Sion forward Winsley Boteli were also handed their senior debuts off the bench, while AC Milan's Ardon Jashari took control of midfield duties in Xhaka's absence.
The numbers underlined Switzerland's superiority, particularly in the opening period. They finished the match with 22 attempts on goal, 13 of which were on target, compared to just two off-target efforts from their hosts. Head coach Murat Yakin praised his side's approach, saying: "The first half was very good indeed. The shot count was 17-1 to us. We are very strong at pressing teams and that's why we did so well at the World Cup. It worked well again against North Macedonia. We weren't as good in the second half and they came into the game and created a few chances but they weren't really dangerous."
Yakin also spoke about the strength of his squad depth, noting the willingness of fringe players to step up when called upon. "We've worked with these players who were here," he said. "We've never complained and there's always an opportunity for other players."
Freuler, at 34 and now playing his club football for Olympiacos after a summer move, addressed the absence of Xhaka directly, acknowledging the difficulty of replacing his experienced teammate but praising how the group responded collectively. "We don't need to talk about Granit. He's a player who can't be replaced. As a team, we have to make up for that," Freuler said. "We did a great job of that against North Macedonia. Let's hope it continues this way and that Granit comes back soon. We had a few new players and they all did very well. It was a perfect match for us really."
The victory extends an impressive run for Switzerland, who have lost just once in their last 10 matches — a 3-1 extra-time defeat to Argentina in the World Cup quarter-finals. With momentum firmly on their side and several new faces stepping up, the Swiss will now turn their attention to a challenging away fixture against Scotland in their next Nations League outing.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.