Shaqiri takes. Embolo rises above Roberts and steers a fine header into the bottom left. Simple as that. Ward had no chance. On the balance of play, that had been coming.
49 min: Embolo turns away from Davies and Rodon, reaching the edge of the box. His rising shot is tipped over by Ward. And from the corner ...
48 min: Schar takes a while to get up ... and he looks a little groggy when he finally does. He’s off the pitch getting some running repairs.
47 min: Moore is booked for leading with his elbow as he challenges Schar for a high ball.
46 min: The ball’s sent witlessly out of play within six seconds of the restart. Hopefully not a harbinger of things to come.
Wales get the second half underway. No changes yet. “This feels like a deja vu of yesterday’s game, down to the more proactive team playing in white and the defensive team in red,” writes Kári Tulinius. “Though Switzerland is a lot less dominant than Italy, and Wales looking likelier to score than Turkey ever did. And Turkey don’t have a Gareth Bale.”
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The Swiss have been on top, though Kieffer Moore came very close to scoring with a superb header. It’s nicely poised.
45 min +1: Wales are nearly undone by a simple ball down the middle. Embolo brings it down inside the box, his back to goal. Mepham grabs a handful of his shirt, but Embolo stays honest. Instead of going down, looking for a penalty he may well have got, he lays off to Seferovic, who lashes high and wide from ten yards. A big let-off.
45 min: The corner’s only half cleared. For a second, it looks as though Shaqiri is going to blast a shot goalwards from the edge of the box, but the ball doesn’t quite sit down for him, and he’s crowded out.
44 min: Mbabu’s good to continue. Shaqiri takes the free kick, hitting it long. Bale rises at the far post and concedes a corner, with Seferovic lurking.
43 min: Davies comes through the back of Mbabu and is fortunate not to go into the book. A free kick for the Swiss out on the right. Everyone lines up on the edge of the Welsh box ... but first the physio comes on to double-check that Mbabu is OK.
41 min: Seferovic breaks a prolonged bout of tedium by sending a speculative effort over the bar from distance. He screams in irritation.
40 min: Bing and then bong.
38 min: This has become a little scrappy. The ball’s like a pixel in a game of Pong.
36 min: Switzerland continue to push Wales back. Embolo is afforded too much time, 25 yards out, and aims for the top right. His shot is deflected out, and Shaqiri gets another crack at a corner. This one’s not much cop either. Uncharacteristically poor delivery so far from the Power Cube.
34 min: Shaqiri’s delivery isn’t all that, but he gets a second opportunity. The retake isn’t much better.
33 min: Freuler hoicks one in from the left. Davies does well to head out for a corner, under pressure from Seferovic.
31 min: Wales load the box. Bale stands over the free kick. He curls towards the far post. A fine delivery, but nobody in red attacks the ball. It sails away harmlessly.
30 min: James tears down the left wing and threatens to whizz past Schar. He’s about to break into the box, so Schar cynically checks him, taking a booking for the team. This is a free kick in a very dangerous position, just to the left of the box.
29 min: Xhaka strides down the left before threading a pass inside for Shaqiri, who is bundled over but gets no free kick. He’s not happy.
27 min: Seferovic turns on the edge of the box and curls powerfully towards the top left. Just wide. He reacts accordingly, sucking back some air. Very close. Switzerland are on top.
26 min: Schar drives forward, down the inside-right channel, and attempts a one-two with Seferovic. Ramsey tracks back to intercept the return, just as Schar threatens to break into the box.
24 min: Shaqiri dinks in from the right. Roberts heads clear under pressure from Seferovic. Xhaka latches onto the clearance and sends a low drive wide right. Switzerland are getting plenty of joy down this right flank.
22 min: Somewhere in the multiverse, this game is 1-1, both sides having scored a marvellous goal. Switzerland, their tails up, come again, Seferovic getting on the end of a left-wing cross but heading harmlessly wide right. A nice open start to this match.
20 min: The corner’s hit low and hard towards the near post. Schar meets it with a backflick. It’s cute, and heading into the bottom right. Ward is positioned well to hack off the line. Great save. A second corner leads to nothing.
19 min: Moore comes back on. Then Mbabu busies himself down the right and wins another Swiss corner.
18 min: Moore temporarily departs so the physio can apply a bright red bandage to his sore head.
17 min: At the corner, Moore and Mbabu clash heads. Moore comes off worst and requires some lengthy treatment to stem the flow of blood.
15 min: Some room for James down the left. He curls towards Moore, who heads back towards the top left. It’s a wonderful steered header, and sailing in. Sommer arches his back and tips sensationally over the bar. That’s world-class football all round.
13 min: Bale spins gracefully into space down the right. He reaches the byline but is hassled by Rodriguez. Rushed, he gets far too much on his cross, meant for Moore at the far post. Goal kick.
11 min: Shaqiri crosses dangerously from the right. Rodon heads clear. Xhaka returns the ball with a shot of extreme prejudice. It’s really travelling, but hits his own man Seferovic and balloons away from danger.
10 min: After their slow start, Switzerland are beginning to dominate possession. Wales seem happy enough to sit back and wait for an opportunity to counter.
8 min: Mepham sweeps both ball and Embolo away with one confident slide tackle. No nonsense. Embolo stays down, wanting a free kick, but he’s not getting one.
7 min: Rodriguez’s delivery is woeful. For a second, it looks as though James is going to counter down the left, but Mbabu puts a stop to his gallop.
6 min: The Swiss settle, stringing a few passes together. Rodriguez crosses from the left. Mbabu rises highest at the far post, and his header leads to the first corner of the game.
4 min: Switzerland by contrast look a little nervous during these very early exchanges. Akanji sends a simple sideways pass into Row Z.
3 min: Wales win the ball again, Bale sending Roberts into space down the right. His low cross is hacked clear. This is a bright start by 2016’s semi-finalists.
2 min: Switzerland spend the first minute stroking the ball around the back. But then Wales snaffle it, James sent scuttling down the left wing. He curls into the Swiss box; Sommer claims easily enough.
The captains Gareth Bale and Granit Xhaka exchange pennants and pleasantries ... a knee is taken ... then Switzerland kick off. Here’s Matt Dony: “Right. I’ve been listening to Together Stronger and Bing Bong on a loop, reminiscing about 2016, and I am ex-ci-ted! This time around, it might well be an anti-climax. Let’s be honest, 2016 was magical in part because everything was new and there were no expectations. This is a horrible group, and I’m a looooong way from being confident. But it’s happening, and I’m determined to enjoy it whatever!”
Here come the teams! Wales are in dragon red, forcing the Swiss into second-choice white. We’ll be off soon, after a blast of the Welsh national anthem ...
... and the Swiss Psalm. People like to say salsa Swiss Psalm.
There are “a few hundred” Welsh fans in situ in Baku. Here are some of them, recovering from a long flight.
Beer is also on sale in Cardiff, where fans are gathering at a Fanzone.
Rob Page talks to the BBC. “We want to get the best 11 on the pitch, and the team picks the formation. That’s what we’ve done, we had that in mind all along. We’ve used the two friendlies to get minutes into the players and get them in the right position to play today. It’s a good problem to have when you have great goalkeepers. Neither are playing domestic football so I had to go with my gut on that one; Danny Ward has played his way into the team. It was always the plan to manage Aaron Ramsey slightly differently to the rest of the group. In the main he’s trained every day, it was just when the press were here we chose to keep him off the grass. There was no concern, and he was on the team sheet. If I’m the opposing manager and I’m looking at that teamsheet ... it’s exciting on paper!”
If this game is half as much fun as last night’s, we’re in for a treat. Paul Doyle sat down to watch Italy eviscerate Turkey, remote in one hand, quill in the other. Here’s his verdict on the tournament’s - and the BBC’s - opening night.
You’ll be wanting some expert analysis, then. Here’s what to expect from the two teams this afternoon, courtesy of our expert analysts.
Kieffer Moore starts for Wales, then. Reward for his disruptive second-half performance against Albania last weekend. Danny Ward gets the nod over Wayne Hennessey in goal. The busy young trio of David Brooks, Harry Wilson and Neco Williams are held back on the bench.
There’s plenty of Premier League representation from Switzerland: Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka is captain, while Liverpool’s Xherdan Shaqiri and Fabian Schar of Newcastle also start.
Wales: Ward, Connor Roberts, Mepham, Rodon, Ben Davies, Allen, Morrell, Ramsey, Bale, Moore, James.
Subs: Hennessey, Gunter, Neco Williams, Lockyer, Wilson, Tyler Roberts, Ampadu, Norrington-Davies, Jonathan Williams, Brooks, Adam Davies, Levitt.
Switzerland: Sommer, Elvedi, Schar, Akanji, Mbabu, Xhaka, Freuler, Rodriguez, Shaqiri, Embolo, Seferovic.
Subs: Widmer, Zakaria, Vargas, Mvogo, Zuber, Sow, Fassnacht, Benito, Mehmedi, Gavranovic, Omlin, Comert.
Referee: Clement Turpin (France).
Wales waited 56 years to make it to their first European Championship finals. You know how these things happen; like Cardiff buses, a second one’s turned up immediately. Nobody’s been seriously talking about a repeat run to the semis … but then again, what’s the point in competing if there’s no room for dreaming?
It’s not as though it’s beyond the realms. Joe Allen, Gareth Bale, Ben Davies, Chris Gunter, Wayne Hennessey, Aaron Ramsey, Danny Ward and Jonny Williams are all back and ready to go again. Meanwhile there’s plenty of fresh meat – Dan James, Harry Wilson, Tyler Roberts, Neco Williams, David Brooks – and so plenty here for Rob Page to work with.
Switzerland, a steady tournament outfit who made it to the last 16 at Euro 2016 and the World Cup two years later, have their eye on a Walian-style deep run themselves. Hey, if the Power Cube is plugged in, anything is possible. They’re on a five-match winning streak, and unlike Wales, have a couple of 2020-21 domestic champions in their squad, in the shape of Mario Gavranović of Dinamo Zagreb and Christian Fassnacht with Young Boys. A test, right here, for Page and his lads.
Italy’s flinging down of the gauntlet last night against Turkey has ramped up the pressure for both teams. Can either join the Azzurri at the top of Group A with three points? Kick-off at the Baku Olympic Stadium is at 2pm BST, 5pm local time in Azerbaijan. It’s on!
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