Switzerland Routs North Macedonia 3-0 as Amdouni Brace Opens Nations League Campaign

Switzerland gave North Macedonia no room to breathe. Behind a brace from Zeki Amdouni and a goal from Remo Freuler, Murat Yakin's side cruised to a 3-0 win at Tose Proeski Arena in a Group B1 UEFA Nations League clash that was effectively over well before halftime.

The hosts barely had a moment to settle. From the opening whistle, Switzerland camped in the opposing half and kept the chances coming: Dan Ndoye tested the keeper in the 1st minute, and between corners and near misses, the pressure never let up. The breakthrough arrived in the 21st minute, when Remo Freuler struck a right-footed shot from the center of the box to make it 0-1, finishing off a headed assist from Amdouni. North Macedonia, who had barely crossed the halfway line all night, kept sinking further behind on the scoreboard and in the run of play.

The second blow landed right before the break. In the 40th minute, Amdouni fired a right-footed effort from the center of the area to make it 0-2, a gut punch that all but settled the match before the teams even reached the locker room. The second half opened with a moment of controversy for the home side: in the 47th minute, VAR reviewed a challenge by Matej Gashtarov and ruled there was no red card, though the defender picked up a yellow a minute later for dangerous play.

With the result already in hand, Switzerland kept pushing forward and Amdouni rounded out his night in the 73rd minute, curling a left-footed shot from the center of the box just inside the post to make it 0-3, set up by Zachary Athekame. North Macedonia turned to their bench for a spark with several substitutions, but they never came close to testing the visiting goalkeeper again.

A Dominant Performance Backed by the Numbers

The stat sheet tells the same story as the scoreline. Switzerland were far more comfortable on the ball and, above all, dramatically more incisive going forward: 23 shots to the hosts' 2 is a staggering gap.

The expected goals tally based on the shots taken also makes clear who deserved the win: 2.003 for Switzerland against just 0.076 for the hosts. That gap confirms the 3-0 scoreline wasn't the product of a couple of isolated moments, but a fair reflection of nearly the entire match.

What the Result Means in the Standings

With the win, Switzerland moved into first place in Group B1 with 3 points from one match, courtesy of the victory, while North Macedonia sit in fourth with no points after the loss. The gap between the two sides in the table stands at 3 points. It's still only the first matchday of the group, with plenty of the tournament still to play, but Switzerland have made a statement to open their campaign, and North Macedonia will need to bounce back quickly to avoid falling off the pace in the group.