Switzerland vs France match report: Hosts secure top spot after dour draw

Switzerland 0 France 0: Didier Deschamps' weakened side held in Lille by Swiss side who also qualify

Despite the best efforts of Paul Pogba, France were unable to make the breakthrough in Lille (Getty) (Getty)

This time there was no last-minute winner, no spectacular drama and no three points for France. Twice in Group A they saved themselves from frustration by beating Romania and Albania right at the death. But on Sunday night in Lille, against Switzerland, they could not.

France had their moments, and when Dimitri Payet stood over a free-kick with three minutes left it felt as if he was going to produce yet another moment of match-winning inspiration, to rescue his manager once again. But his free-kick hit Moussa Sissoko and rolled away for a goal-kick.

Of course this 0-0 draw was more than enough for France who finished with seven points, comfortably topping Group A. They did not play any worse than they did in Paris or Marseilles and they created more chances in open play than they did in either of their first two games. Paul Pogba hit the woodwork twice and Payet did so with his first touch after coming on. France did this on a pitch that was almost unplayable, forcing them to go long more often than they would like, and against a scrappy, disciplined Swiss side who had nothing to gain by going for a win.

But this was too similar to too much of the first two French games. Having not played competitive football since the last World Cup, this is very clearly a French side which is still trying to find its best system and its best combination of players. This is a team that has yet to put in anything resembling a 90-minute performance, and a team that has not yet scored a goal in the first half. More often than not Deschamps is having to play tactical catch-up with himself and he may not be able to do it forever.

Didier Deschamps rested Dimitri Payet, one of five changes, and yet he still had to turn to him in the second half when he was chasing a goal. Deschamps does not know how to get Payet, Pogba and Antoine Griezmann on the pitch and playing dangerously all at the same time. This was the third game and it feels as if Deschamps would have solved this problem by now if he were able to.

This was Pogba's best performance of the tournament, which may not be saying much, but he dominated the first half during which France played their best football. He nearly scored three goals, nearly set another one up, and looked as if he wanted to dominate the match and the tournament from here. But even all of this play came to nothing, and when Payet came on in the second half, in that left-wing role, it squeezed Pogba's space again.

So what should have been a great night for Pogba still ended in a tinge of frustration. He has found himself at the centre of controversy this week after appearing to make an obscene gesture to the stands after Payet’s second goal against Albania last Wednesday night. This was meant to be his tournament, after all, and in the first half, for the first time in the group stage, he played like he really meant it.

It nearly started badly for Pogba, when a Swiss corner kick bounced off him and was only kept out of the French net by Johan Djourou, stranded on his back on the line. But from then on it was all about one man.


 Didier Deschamps has led his side into a last sixteen match in Lyons next Sunday (Getty)

Pogba received one ball on the edge of the Swiss box, touched it away from Granit Xhaka and curled a right-footed shot which Yann Sommer spilled onto his own crossbar and just over. Two minutes later he flicked the ball over two opponents and set up Kingsley Coman, who skewed his shot. So Pogba overlapped around him and smacked the ball with his left across goal, forcing Sommer into a far better save.

Pogba was running the midfield and the next time the ball broke to him in space he galloped forward and struck a 30-yard shot that flew far beyond Sommer, off the crossbar and away. He nearly scored three brilliant goals in seven minutes, and while in fact he scored none, he had made his intentions very clear. His next act was a perfect cross which Andre Pierre Gignac headed just wide.

The problem with France, so far, is that they cannot always turn their good play into goals and this was another good spell that they did not take full advantage of. It was also another scoreless first half and an opportunity to finally assert themselves on a game go to waste.

When the second half started Griezmann tried to take over, receiving a sharp pass from Pogba, exchanging passes with Gignac and then hammering a shot with his right that Sommer inelegantly palmed wide.

Paul Pogba came in for some close attention by his Swiss opponents (Getty)

But 18 minutes into the second half Deschamps grew tired of waiting and threw on Payet for Coman, to the roar of the fans awaiting their new hero.

The problem was by this point Switzerland had fully grown into the game, with Valon Behrami and Xhaka manfully shielding their back. With the threat of Breel Embolo and Xherdan Shaqiri in behind, they caused France more problems at both ends of the pitch than was expected. This is slowly-improving Swiss team and they may not have the tools to beat good opposition but here they showed that they can play clever containing football, and that they do not mind a dust-up. By the end four Swiss shirts had to be changed because they had been ripped, Xhaka's twice, while Behrami punctured a ball while tackling Griezmann.

That is why Deschamps had to turn to Payet, and it nearly worked. His first action was to hit the bar with what would have been the goal of the tournament. Moussa Sissoko burst down the right, away from Ricardo Rodriguez and Djourou, the type of run that has made his name, driving in a cross from the right. Payet hit it on the volley but the ball flew off the underside of the bar, down and away. Then Payet, lurking from the left of the 4-3-3, received Pogba’s knock-down on the edge of the box, but his shot faded away from Sommer’s far post.

After a brief spell on the front foot, Switzerland were more than happy to sit back and take the point that would secure beyond any doubt their hold on second place. Gelson Fernandes came on for Xherdan Shaqiri, which is not the substitution of a manager who is chasing the game.

France were not much keener to push themselves, with first place assured. They did not win this game at the end, but they did not need to. But there will come a point when they have to show more from the start.

Switzerland (4-2-3-1) Sommer; Lichtsteiner, Schar, Djourou, Rodriguez; Behrami, Xhaka; Shaqiri (Fernandes, 78), Dzemaili, Mehmedi (Lang, 86); Embolo (Seferovic, 74).

France (4-3-2-1) Lloris; Sagna, Rami, Koscielny, Evra; Sissoko, Cabaye, Pogba; Griezmann (Matuidi, 77), Coman (Payet, 63); Gignac.

Man of the match Pogba

Match rating 5/10