Switzerland U21 made short work of Luxembourg U21 in their Group Stage-19 fixture, running out 5-0 winners on Thursday evening. The result keeps the hosts in second place with 14 points from seven games, while the visitors remain fifth on just four points after six matches. It was a familiar pattern for the Swiss, who had beaten Luxembourg 2-1 in their last meeting back in November.
Luxembourg paid for a sloppy opening against a side that came for a cross they never reached. L. Chipperfield opened the scoring inside 14 minutes, then added a penalty just three minutes later. A. Vogt made it three before the break, and by then the game had already been decided. The visitors' only substitution came at 13 minutes, a sign of things to follow.
The second half brought another round of changes for both sides. Switzerland turned to the kids at 46 minutes, bringing on D. Jonathans, while Luxembourg made four changes at the half-hour mark. L. Bajrami completed his double with 82 minutes remaining, then added a fourth for his side in stoppage time. I. Englaro picked up a yellow card just before the final whistle.
The standings tell the wider story here. Switzerland sit two points behind the leaders with a game in hand, while Luxembourg have not won since their victory over Switzerland in November. The visitors' recent run includes a heavy 5-1 defeat to France and a goalless draw with Kosovo.
Five goals from five different scorers is a result that will lift confidence within the Swiss setup. For Luxembourg, the gap to safety in their group looks increasingly difficult to close. The draw brought them together early in their history, but this time the gulf in form was clear for all to see.
