Watch: Vargas' fantastic strike helps Swiss eliminate reigning champions

Ruben Vargas of Switzerland celebrates after scoring the goal of 2-0 during the UEFA EURO 2024 Round of 16 match between Switzerland and Italy. IPA

Watch: Ruben Vargas' fantastic strike helps Swiss eliminate reigning champions

By Ignacio Cervantes | Last updated Jun 29, 2024 2:43 PM ET

Switzerland cruised into the UEFA Euro 2024 quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Italy in this summer's first Round of 16 knockout game.

After taking a 1-0 lead into halftime, Swiss midfielder Ruben Vargas wasted no time doubling the advantage with one of the tournament's best finishes.

In one motion, the midfielder took possession. It swiveled into a shooting position just inside the corner of the 18-yard box before whipping an unstoppable shot into the goal's side netting 26 seconds after the restart.

ANOTHER FOR SWITZERLAND ✌️

Switzerland now holds a 2-0 lead over the defending champs in the second half pic.twitter.com/4fvhW4HKss
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 29, 2024

It was a man-of-the-match performance from Vargas, who preceded his goal with an assist on Remo Freuler's opener for the Swiss with a dissecting pass into the box.

Switzerland's next opponent will be the winner between England and Slovakia, who play on Sunday.

The quarterfinals are set to take place July 5-6.

Ignacio Cervantes

Ignacio Cervantes is a freelance sports reporter based in Southern California. His love for sports turned into a love for reporting which has taken him to cover MLS Cup finals, CIF State finals, and numerous high school sporting events. Ignacio also contributes to the high school sports departments at Southern California News Group newspapers the Daily Breeze and the Press-Telegram

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