Once upon time there were a Ghanian, a Cameroonian and a Nigerian. The three of them joined forces to make a massive success. Only, there’s a slight catch here – this all happened not at the Africa Cup of Nations, but at the European Champions…That’s how this fairytale could start. And it would perfectly sum up the recently ended second match of the EURO 2024, which saw Switzerland brush aside Hungary 3-1 in Cologne on Saturday afternoon to kickstart their campaign in amazing fashion.The Swiss side dominated the game and deservedly won, but mostly thanks to their African trio – three players of African origin who played an essential part in today’s success.##EDITORS_CHOICE##The opening goal was a perfect link-up, with Kwadwo Antwi Duah finishing it superbly to make it 1-0 early on. The 27-year-old striker, currently plying trade at a Bulgarian team Ludogoretz, was born in London to Ghanaian parents back in 1997. He made his Switzerland debut just a few days ago in a friendly against Estonia, and today, against Hungary, netted for the first time after successfully rushing past an offside trap. It was a major breakthrough for Duah, who was given a sensational chance to shine in the starting XI and he lived up to the expectations of the Swiss coach Murat Yakin.Still, he was not the only African that deserves applause for Saturday’s performance, as Breel Embolo of Cameroonian roots joined him on the scoresheet with his first and Switzerland’s third and decisive goal of the game. AS Monaco’s centre-forward, who came on 20 minutes prior, made the most of the chaos in the opponents’ box, and wrapped up the match in the stoppage time.However, it would be unfair to ignore the magnificent display of another African player, regardless of his scoring stats. Especially since Manuel Akanji’s main assignment is not to find the back of the rival’s net but to protect his own. And he did it wonderfully. Manchester City’s defender dominated the game and controlled the ball and his team’s build-ups like a playmaker, making almost not a single mistake along the way. Switzerland are Hungary for more goals 😭😭#EURo2024 What a display from Akanji 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2MViMI3Okx— AvFC 🏴☠️ (@TheBruyneEra) June 15, 2024 Under Pep Guardiola’s tutorship, the player of Nigerian origins has evolved into one of the world’s most creative and versatile defenders and is such a pleasure to watch.Germany should definitely watch out when they face in the last game of Group A next week.EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP – GROUP STAGEFridayGermany – Scotland 5-1 (3-0)/Wirtz 10, Musiala 19, Havertz 45+1, Fullkrug 68, Can 90+3 – Rudiger 87 og/SaturdayHungary – Switzerland 1-3 (0-2)/Varga 66 – Duah 12, Aebischer 45, Embolo 90+3/19.00: (1.90) Spain (3.50) Croatia (4.20)22.00: (1.42) Italy (4.30) Albania (8.50)Sunday 16.00: (5.70) Poland (3.80) Netherlands (1.63)19.00: (5.00) Slovenia (3.50) Denmark (1.75)22.00: (7.50) Serbia (4.40) England (1.50)***odds are subject to change***
