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International round-up: Wins for Magpies duo as Euro 2020 nears
Written by Rory Mitchinson
Fabian Schär and Emil Krafth helped their respective countries warm up for Euro 2020 with international friendly victories over the weekend.
Schär was among just a handful of players to play 90 minutes as Switzerland recovered from going a goal down early on to beat the United States 2-1 in St. Gallen. Ricardo Rodríguez and Steven Zuber were on target as the Swiss inflicted a first defeat on the US since 2019.
Schär’s fellow defender Krafth also got a full game under his belt as Sweden saw off near neighbours Finland 2-0 in Solna. Swedish boss Janne Andersson opted to keep his back five on the pitch throughout – while tinkering with his attacking options – and it did the trick for the home side, with Robin Quaison and Sebastian Larsson on the scoresheet.
Switzerland host Liechtenstein on Thursday before kicking off their Euro 2020 campaign against Wales in Baku a week on Saturday. Sweden, meanwhile, take on Armenia in their final friendly ahead of their tournament opener against Spain in Seville on 14th June.
Elsewhere, young Magpies centre half Oisín McEntee was handed a debut for the Republic of Ireland at under-21 level on Sunday. McEntee started and finished the game as the Irish took on their Swiss counterparts in Marbella but was powerless to prevent ex-United midfielder Jim Crawford’s side slipping to a 2-0 defeat.