For the Faroe Islands, who were playing their first EURO game, it was a good lesson and new experience for the future, especially the closing stages when they managed to sweeten their loss and made Switzerland sweat for a short period of time. Even though they were behind throughout the whole match, the sizeable number of Faroese fans never stopped supporting them.
GROUP D
Switzerland vs Faroe Islands 28:25 (13:7)
- hasty attacks by both sides left the score on 0:0 for five minutes – Tabea Schmid broke the ice for the co-hosts, while Lív Sveinbjørnsdóttir Poulsen netted first-ever EHF EURO goal for the Faroe Islands
- right wing Mia Emmenegger set the six-goal lead (9:3) with her 20th EURO goal, 20 minutes into the first half
- goalkeepers Annika Frídheim Petersen and Lea Schüpbach were the main reasons we have not seen more goals in first 30 minutes — both were boasting of with more than 40 per cent save efficiency
- the first double-digit lead was hit in the 37th minute as Switzerland set 19:9; the Faroe Islands were making rotations with 14 out of 16 players having their moment on the court in those 40 minutes
- the Faroe Islands made a comeback and closed the gap to two in the last 10 minutes with a good defensive effort, but Daphné Gautschi secured Switzerland's win
- Swiss line player Tabea Schmid earned the Player of the Match award, presented by Grundfos, following her seven goals; Jana Mittún and Pernille Brandenborg scored seven each for the Faroe Islands
History made in Basel
Switzerland were waiting for this moment for almost four years — since they found out in January 2020 they were awarded the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 alongside Hungary and Austria. From that moment the project started, as they wanted to build a team who will be ready to compete against top teams.
They made their EHF EURO debut in 2020 and had an early exit after two defeats and one draw, thus finishing in the 14th place. Still, they showed fighting spirit and the progress they have made with only 2024 in their minds.
Fast forward to November 2024, and their first game at the Women’s EHF EURO 2024 against the Faroe Islands, backed by 4,670 fans. In a spectacular atmosphere, Switzerland managed to claim their maiden EHF EURO win and wrote the history of women’s handball in Switzerland. That new page was written with the help of Daphné Gautschi's eight goals and seven goals by Player of the Match Tabea Schmid.
I can't describe it. It's a dream come true. It's already a dream to play at home in front of this public, in front of our families and loved ones. It's so hard to describe because it was a hard game. And in the end we had to really, really much to fight.
The feelings are a bit divided not. On one hand we lost, but on the other hand it's amazing because we never tried something like this before. We were so close, but yet, so far.
