If there were any doubts that Switzerland's national team can't do without Xherdan Shaqiri, the 32-year-old dispelled them with his performance against Ireland on Tuesday night. His free-kick in the 23rd minute was Switzerland's only attacking highlight. Although Shaqiri didn't completely eradicate Switzerland's attacking woes, his goal saw the Swiss finally walk away victorious. Switzerland was without a win in five games. On Tuesday he won 1:0 in Dublin.
During the celebration of the goal, the glow covered Shaqiri's face. Even after the match, Xherdani was available. He gave strong statements, writes "Blick".
Asked if Switzerland is dangerous in attack with only him in the composition, Shaqiri answered with a laugh: "Why, when it wasn't like that?".
Then he continued to speak more seriously.
"Of course, I hope that at some point there will be a successor who will be creative and follow in my footsteps."
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The next question for the Kosovar was also a dose of provocation. "There are discussions about your physical condition. Will you be ready for the European?".
"When was I not ready for the big event? I always did my best. It's a matter of the moment: you have to be in top form when it really counts", answered Shaqiri, laughing again.
"A lot has been written in the last few days. A lot of unnecessary stuff too. It is a fact that I had eight weeks off. The season in America started only a month ago. It's normal that I'm not the real Shaqiri yet. It takes a little more time."
There have been many articles about Shaqiri's relationship with Switzerland's coach, Murat Yakin. He was benched against Denmark last week.
VIDEO OF THE GOAL:
XHERDAN SHAQIRI OPENS THE SCORING WITH A FREE-KICK GOAL!!!pic.twitter.com/TFWBv4U0C7
– Football Report (@FootballReprt) March 26, 2024
"The agreement was that I would not play against Denmark. Anyone who says otherwise is wrong. The coach wanted to experiment and see as many players as possible. And that's the right thing to do. Yakini's relations with me were good from the beginning. And they continue to be", said Shaqiri.
With the beautiful goal from the free kick, Shaqiri says that he did not want to prove anything. He is already very proven.
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"I am happy that I was able to help the team and that we won again. This is very important for our morale on the eve of the European Championship".
Now Shaqiri returns to the USA. And although there were many reports about his name, Xherdani goes away as the big winner of the March games. He proved again that Switzerland's attacking strength depends a lot on him.
