National Team Friendly

National Stadium
Spectators: 10305 (Terracing: 7729, Seating: 2370, VIP seats: 206) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Barnard Chalut took the kick off in the first half of the match. Alex Méret was out of position in the 5 minute of play, and Hercule Buth capitalized on the mistake with a soft shot into the goal. Hercule Buth really showed his touch with that goal: 1-0. Alex Méret made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Robert Pirès in the 8th minute of play. In the 8th minute, Robert Pirès made a precise shot to the right of Alex Méret. U21 Switzerland's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 2-0. Carlos Nussbaum's late challenge caught a U21 France's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Carlos Nussbaum helped the player get up and apologised. A collision led to U21 Switzerland getting a freekick after 10 minutes play. Carlos Nussbaum hit a great ball. Alex Méret showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Hercule Buth, who was totally free with the ball in the 17th minute. In the 19th minute, U21 France's Robert Pirès ran free of his marker and smoothly shot the ball into the goal behind Alex Méret. Alex Méret yelled at his defense, as they had left him out to dry. 3-0. Hercule Buth might have been able to make a better finish in the 22nd minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Alex Méret. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Hercule Buth ran back to his position shaking his head. Alex Méret made an important save on a dangerous shot by Hercule Buth in the 22nd minute. After 23 played minutes U21 Switzerland got a freekick which was hit by Dominik Kneubühler. Alex Méret stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Hercule Buth's shot from short distance in the 35th minute. Ahmid Guillaumet hit a great freekick 36 minutes into the match. U21 Switzerland's Tiago Rodrigues couldn't find anyone to pass the ball to, so he shot a long shot towards the goal in the 36th minute. The shot went wide which resulted in a goal kick for U21 France. 40 minutes into the match, U21 France's Hercule Buth sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Alex Méret narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Carlos Nussbaum sent away a hard shot on goal in the 42nd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Ahmid Guillaumet during the 45th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. Ahmid Guillaumet kicked well hit freekick during the 45th minute of the match. Titouan Aucouturier kicked well hit freekick during the 48th minute of the match. U21 France's Bruno Martini played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Tiago Rodrigues in the 49th minute of play. The away team players looked dejected as the walked off the pitch at half time. They had fought hard, but were still losing 3-0.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Robert Pirès stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. Alex Méret made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Hercule Buth in the 53rd minute of play. In the 54th minute, Hercule Buth left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The U21 France fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 4-0. Florent Thorez hit a great freekick 57 minutes into the match. Hercule Buth sent away a hard shot on goal in the 65th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. A collision led to U21 Switzerland getting a freekick after 68 minutes play. Barnard Chalut hit a great ball. In the 69th match minute, U21 Switzerland was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Barnard Chalut to maneuver through the defense. U21 Switzerland's Alex Méret played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Hercule Buth in the 72nd minute of play. In the 73rd minute U21 France were awarded a corner. Robert Pirès went to the cornerflag to take it. In the 77th minute, Lorenzo Insigne hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Alex Méret showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Hercule Buth, who was totally free with the ball in the 79th minute. Martin Pautrat kicked well hit freekick during the 83rd minute of the match. In the 89th match minute, U21 France was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Ernest Gascoin to maneuver through the defense. In the 90th minute of the match Tiago Rodrigues shot from a long distance. The ball could have gone into the goal to the right of the goalkeeper, but Bruno Martini showed his good shape when he easily got hold of the ball. The referee blew his whistle, and the match came to a close. The players exchanged shirts and headed down the tunnel. The U21 France fans cheered their team off the field, for while U21 Switzerland had put up a good fight, they were unable to come out of the game with any points to show for their effort.