Switzerland exit World Cup, Akanji hits back at Lehmann

Switzerland out of the World Cup, hearts broken in the quarterfinal

Your tournament is over. Argentina beat Switzerland in the World Cup quarterfinal, and the circumstances were brutal (1) (2). Breel Embolo and Manuel Akanji were at the center of it. Switzerland went down to ten men and still made Argentina work for every inch. The scoreline and full match details are still emerging, but the exit stings, this team had the quality to go further.

Akanji fires back at Jens Lehmann

Manuel Akanji did not hold back after the final whistle. The target: former Germany goalkeeper Jens Lehmann, who had dismissed Switzerland as a team only there to swap shirts. "Liebe Grüße auch an Jens Lehmann, der gesagt hat, wir sind nur hier zum Trikottauschen. Man hat heute gesehen, was wir können, auch zu zehnt," Akanji said (2). He called the comments disrespectful, especially given Germany's own recent struggles. "Ich finde es krass, dass man solche respektlosen Aussagen trifft, nachdem wir jahrelang so gute Leistungen gezeigt haben, auch bei diesem Turnier. Erst recht, wenn man sieht, wo Deutschland steht und wie sie zuletzt performt haben" (2). The message was clear: this team earned respect, and Lehmann got it wrong.