The European Championship isn’t over yet, but the journey of the Swiss national team has come to a bitter end. A nail-biting penalty shootout dashed our hopes, with Manuel Akanji, who had an otherwise stellar tournament, unfortunately missing the first penalty for Switzerland. The English, historically known for their penalty woes, managed to score all five of theirs.

It wasn’t the most thrilling match in terms of quality, but the few chances Switzerland had were of better quality than England’s. Yet, in the end, it just wasn’t enough.

So, who’s going to take the trophy home? Right now, my emotions are all over the place, and honestly, I’m not sure if I care as much anymore. Spain has been impressive so far, though they were a bit lucky against Germany in the quarter-finals. Based on their performances, a title win wouldn’t be undeserved. We’ll see how it all plays out.

After a brief disappearing act (no, I wasn’t hiding in a stadium), I’m back in the blogging game. The weekend post-return was smoother than a Mbappe run, but by Tuesday, I was tackled by a cold and jet lag double-team. My plans? Subbed off faster than a struggling striker.

But there was a silver lining: Euro 2024 in Germany! From my Swiss window seat, I could follow the tournament and was treated to some spectacular matches. The atmosphere seeping through social media was almost as thrilling as being in the stadium itself.

The Swiss game against the Scots did go like I hoped for. Xherdan Shaqiri, that old wizard, scored another dream goal. It seems to have become his duty at major tournaments - as if he wakes up thinking, “Time to score a world-class goal today, then breakfast.” In the end, a draw - as balanced as a perfectly poured pint.

Now, all eyes on Germany. They’re steamrolling through the tournament like a bratwurst through a beer tent. Them and Spain are playing like they’ve got cheat codes. But hey, 90 minutes is longer than my attention span, so anything could happen.

Next week, it’s back to the work trenches. The office calls like an over-enthusiastic whistle-happy ref. But until then, I’m riding this Euro 2024 rollercoaster from my sofa command center.

Das Schweizer Eishockey-Nationalteam trägt an der nächsten, in zwei Ländern vom 9. bis 25. Mai 2025 ausgetragenen Weltmeisterschaft seine Gruppenspiele in Herning aus. Dort trifft der diesjährige WM-Zweite auf Weltmeister Tschechien, die USA, Deutschland, Dänemark, Ungarn, Kasachstan und Norwegen.

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