ITALY will not be retaining their European Championship title following a 2-0 defeat to Switzerland in a Euro 2024 round of 16 clash tonight.
The defending champions were outwitted by the Swiss, who scored in either half in Berlin, Germany.
Remo Freuler opened the scoring for Switzerland in the 37th minute and Ruben Vargas doubled their advantage moments after the resumption of the second half.
Italy, who barely scraped through to the knockout rounds due to a stoppage-time equaliser against Croatia in their final group game, have struggled for consistency since beatingEngland in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
The Azzurri have been on a sharp decline since they won the delayed Euro 2020 title in 2021.
Under Roberto Mancini, who steered them to the Euro 2020 triumph, Italy failed to qualify for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
While there was hope of a recovery under the guidance of Luciano Spalletti, who had led Napoli to the 2022/2023 Serie A title, this latest defeat will be seen as a huge drawback in Italy.
