Zeki Amdouni reacted to Switzerland's World Cup quarter-final pairing against Argentina with an excited social media post. The Swiss national team forward shared the message "I'm going to play against Messi" on Snapchat.
"That's it, I can retire from football," Amdouni said, as quoted by the Spanish sports outlet. For the 25-year-old, facing Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is a dream. Switzerland had advanced to the last eight by beating Colombia in the round of 16 on July 7th. After a 0-0 draw over 120 minutes, Murat Yakin's side won the penalty shootout 4-3, with Amdouni converting the second spot-kick.
The quarter-final against Argentina took place on July 11th at Kansas City Stadium and ended in a 3-1 defeat for Switzerland. That match is now in the past, and the Nati are looking ahead to their next tasks in World Cup qualifying. The team currently sits top of their group with seven points from three games, holding a three-point lead over Canada. Their recent form over the last five matches shows three wins, one draw, and one loss (LDWWW).
For the upcoming challenges, manager Murat Yakin will be without Rubén Vargas and Silvan Widmer. Both players are currently injured and sidelined. Injury concerns are not new for the team, as Amdouni himself suffered a knee injury earlier this year, but he recovered in time for the World Cup tournament. This season's squad list and all injury news can be found on our squad page.
The Swiss national team's next competitive match is an away fixture in World Cup qualifying. On September 26th, the team will face FYR Macedonia. The full schedule with all dates and results is available on our fixtures page. Following the recent loss to Argentina, the team will be aiming for a quick return to winning ways to defend their lead at the top of the group. The current standings show Switzerland with a goal difference of plus four, having scored seven and conceded three.
